Kiss Me Deadly
by Aweshum
Summary: [AU. SasuNaru.] One kiss. Everyday. For the rest of the school year. Those are my terms, Uzumaki.
1. Prologue: Introduction and Beginnings

**Title**: Kiss Me Deadly

**Rating**: PG-13 for ABC. Angst, BoyxBoy, and Cursing. ) Oh, and slight non-con but I didn't want to ruin the nifty abbreviation.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own ANYTHING that is remotely close to Naruto. Except for a couple of fanfictions and some craptastic fanart.

**Summary**: AU - "One kiss. Everyday. For the rest of the school year. Those are my terms, Uzumaki." SasuNaru.

**Author's Note**: If you can't already tell, this would be another AU high school fic (because no sasunaru authoress will be complete without one). The idea has been swirling around my head for a good bit and I finally got the energy to type it down for your enjoyment. Feel special.

Oh, please don't expect me to include every single character in the Naruto series- from either the first and second arc. Its tough enough trying to fully characterize the main characters. I'll just include the characters that will play important parts in the story instead of making random cameo appearances.

The spacing is there to make it easier on the eyes. I hate the close spacing on this site, especially in the longer chapters.

**Chapter Summary**: An introduction to Sasuke and Naruto's relationship. Naruto's friends are in deep shit. )

-

_Bonds are important. Whether built of trust and loyalty or passion and hatred. Bonds are always important. _

-

**Prologue: Introductions and Beginnings**

-

-

At first sight, the bench in the main office was nothing special. In fact, it was fairly average as far as benches went with cold black metal framing curving over the ends of smoothed wooden strips. Ancient pieces of dried gum stuck to its underside acted as a reminder of how many rebellious bottoms it had met. The only thing even remotely unique about the bench was the slew of shameless engravings of insult, threats, and love confessions.

-

Not having anything to do, Naruto read over the carvings, none of which didn't hold his interest for long. As he reached the twentieth '_So-and-so loves whatshisface_', a rare spark of inspiration popped into his spiky little blond head.

-

The teen's mouth curved into a subdued grin as his eyes shifted to the secretary behind the counter. Shizune (he had been in this office so many times they were on first name basis) seemed rather occupied on the phone and had her back turned to him. Ha! Her first mistake. Blue eyes turned the other direction and peered casually to the doorway out the office. Most of the teachers were in their classrooms at this time and it was much too early for the janitors to start cleaning the hallways. It was as empty as a gay bar on Christmas.

-

With one last shady glance at the secretary, Naruto sneaked his fingers into one of his jean's pocket and pulled out a small metal screw he had found that morning on his way to breakfast. Being a born and bred packrat had never let him down. After tucking the cold steel between his fingers, he bended both arms behind his back and positioned himself in the most casual pose he could manage.

-

After a minute or two of shifting, Naruto finally put his plan into action. Making as little movement as possible so as not to draw attention to himself, the blonde began to scrape out the first word onto the wood.

-

_S...A...S..._

-

Okay. So far, so good. The curves on the S's felt a little too angled but he couldn't be bothered to check his handwriting at a time like this. Any minute now, the old hag might come out of the office.

-

_U...K...E_

-

There. The first word was done and it only took about...two minutes. Not bad at all. He retraced the lettering with the cushion of his fingertips and cleaned off the wood scrapings before continuing with the second word. He wanted to make sure this was quality work.

-

_L...O...V...E...S_

-

The O was likely lopsided and Naruto was still unsure on his S's. Curves were always the trickiest to do. Again, he brushed his fingertips over the letters. As expected, they were somewhat crooked but it was fine considering the circumstances. At least they were aligned nicely.

-

Now it was time for the last word. What oh what could Naruto put that would unleash the most humiliating rumors the bastard had ever faced in his miserable life? Should it be something crude and vulgar? Maybe a fictional love affair with a teacher? An _old_ teacher...an _old ugly_ teacher...an _old, ugly _and _male_ teacher!

-

He started to shudder at the imagery the thought caused. Naruto really didn't need to imagine the vivid sex scenes between the two but his overactive imagination was on a roll and it didn't care for his innocence. The mighty Student Council President being the younger forbidden lover of a teacher? It was too good to pass up.

-

It was unbearably perfect. And, in the D average mindset, completely and totally plausible.

-

But before Naruto could carve out a name (between Jaraiya of the English department or Gai the head track coach), the door to the principal's office opened and a rather disgruntled Tsunade emerged. The Kohona high principal was fairly young looking, even though the local rumor mill said otherwise. Her long light blonde hair tied into two ponytails that sprouted at the back of her head. It was an unusual and unprofessional hairstyle but she had refused to bend down to the school board's 'suggestion' to change it. Though, as a negotiate, she did wear the suits covering up her...distracting breast size. Overall, she was a intimidating woman who radiated both intelligence and power. An angry flash from her eyes was enough to silence entire classrooms, a very handy trick.

-

And now, those murderous eyes narrowed at the student on her bench. Naruto immediately dropped the screw to the floor and brought out two empty hands onto his lap. Feigning innocence, the blond gave a nervous laugh before speaking in his usual cheery voice.

-

"Um...eh...I-I swear it wasn't my fau-!"

-

"Can it twerp," Tsunade snapped. She stepped out to the side and jerked her head into the small office. "Get in here." She watched him wearily as the boy began to pout and gather his stuff off the bench. Secretly, she noted the dried blood of the split lip and a few light bruises along the length of the young man's arm and neck. His clothes, fortunately, had gotten out with only a single rip on his shirt's neck line. Three shimmering crystals in a simple design gleamed from a thin strand of silver on his exposed neck.

-

Her eyes paused at it for a moment before she noticed the boy dragging his feet.

-

"And remember to go straight to the nurse after this, Naruto," she whispered harshly as the boy passed. Naruto gave a slight shrug of compliance in return. Ever since he came to the school, Tsunade had taken a shining to the young boy. He didn't know whether it was because of his depressing history recorded in the school files, the fact that he was in her office almost everyday, or a combination of those and other things, but it made him feel a little better going to the hellhole of a school. He wouldn't call her a loving mother but more like a heckling aunt or older sister.

-

Tsunade had even entrusted Naruto with a precious necklace during one of their more memorable sessions. When asked why she had chosen him, the woman had said to consider it a debt repaid. Apparently, Naruto had become one of the main reasons the older blonde had decided to lead a better life free of her former gambling and drinking habits. Though at the time, Naruto did not completely understand the significance of the gesture, he did know it represented something important between the two of them.

-

That alone made the necklace the most valuable thing Naruto had in his possession. Almost obsessively, he wore it, cleaned it, and checked it everyday. It was the symbol of one of the few strong bonds the boy had ever received.

-

But the bond seemed oddly nonexistent when a loud bang of a door being closed was heard behind the blonde. Tsunade swiftly and gracefully made her way to the other side of the room and seated herself behind a large wooden desk. She motioned Naruto to one of the two chairs on the other side but he had suddenly stopped at the steady gaze of another boy on the other chair. The atmosphere tensed up noticeably as the gaze was returned by an intense glare. The paler boy straightened himself more and smirked slightly.

-

"Uzumaki..." An arrogant smirk widened a fraction as he noted the dried blood on the corner of the blond's lips.

-

"Uchiha..." A deep scowl appeared at how the other's appearance looked, at best, disheveled.

-

"Not in my office, you two," Tsunade interrupted, leafing through a couple pieces of paper and scanning over it quickly. There was a moment of stifling silence as Naruto vision finally broke away and sat in the second chair beside Sasuke. Of course, he moved the chair a few more inches away from the Uchiha. To him, just the smug aura alone was enough to send him vomiting.

-

It only took a few more seconds before Tsunade looked up from the reports and slammed the papers down on the desk. She stared at the both of them, as if asking herself why these two boys, out of all the schools in the world, would be at hers. At the same time. Together.

-

_Why god why?_

-

"A pencil," she said softly and errily," You two...broke three desks, two chairs, caused a one-hour delay, and ruined my breakfast over. One. Little. Pencil."

-

The said two wisely remained silent under Tsunade's harsh gaze. However, the lesser wiser of the two spoke out in protest soon afterwards.

-

"B-but its all his fault!" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at Sasuke who rolled his eyes in return. "All I did was asking if anyone had a pencil to lend me and Sasuke told me to shut up!"

-

"I had a headache and you were loud..._idiot,_" the other calmly responded.

-

"I don't give a shit if you had a headache or not!" Naruto yelled face tinted red at the insult, "All I wanted was a damn pencil!" He threw both of his arms in the air as a sign of exasperation.

-

"Then you shouldn't have forgotten to bring one...again."

-

"Arrgh! Shut up! You didn't have to be such a jerk about it!"

-

"At least I'm not a total moron."

-

"Jackass!"

-

"Dumbass."

-

In an instant, Naruto attempted to lunge at Sasuke but the boy had expected the reaction and quickly moved out of the way. Naruto didn't let the collision with the hard wooden chair stop his rampage(though he winced slightly at the pain) and started to swing punches with vigor.

-

Sasuke chose to dodge for the most part, which was the best way to infuriate the blond. In a few seconds, the blind anger finally led Naruto to deliver a punch on the pale boy's left cheek. That caused the brawl to turn up in ferocity with Sasuke now delivering his own punches.

-

Tsunade ended up overlooking two cursing boys rolling around on her nice formerly clean floor (she'll have to ask the janitor to clean up the blood soon or it'll stain). Without her breakfast, the head of the school really didn't feel like wasting the energy to split the boys apart. Her fingers started to massage her aching temples as the curses continued flying colorfully through the air. Hopefully, the boys would be tired out in a minute or two since some of their original intensity might've been lost with the fight earlier this morning.

-

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

-

"Here," Shikamaru grunted as he carelessly threw a bag of chips on the table, "I didn't feel like finishing it."

-

"Wow, barbeque flavored, my favorite," a porky boy exclaimed as he reached for the chips. However, just as the fingers began to curl around the top of the bag, another hand quickly snatched it away.

-

"Ha, too slow Chouji!" Kiba said, exposing his unusually sharp canines in a flashy grin. He opened the bag with a pop and delicately took out a chip. Chouji narrowed his eyes as the boy began to teasingly lick off the spices from the underside of the crisp. "Mmm...delicious." His face scrunched up in mock euphoria.

-

"You look like you're about to orgasm, Kiba," Shikamaru said bluntly, seating himself next to Chouji. At this, Kiba's face turned a sharp shade of red. He quickly tried to stutter out a retort, dropping the bag on the table and jabbing finger at the lazy genius.

-

"Sh-shut up, pineapple head!"

-

Shikamaru shrugged off the half-baked insult and chose not to continue. Kiba, though rather crude himself at times, always avoided the topic of sex and opted more for potty humor. Knowing this, it would be slightly unfair to go into an argument against him. Especially when he himself was already an established genius and that alone is big advantage already.

-

Chouji had taken advantage of Kiba's moment of distraction and snatched back the bag of chips from the table.

-

"Hey!" Kiba snapped, "Give those back! I had dibs on them!"

-

"Too slow, dog-breathe," Chouji mocked happily, crunching away at the contents of the bag.

-

Kiba had shifted his entire attention away from Shikamaru, all previous insults forgotten, and now angrily focused at the other boy across from him. He quickly closed the distance between them and tugged at the top of the opened bag. Chouji's grip on the bag tightened. Angry sparks flew as eye contact was made. "Let go or I'll spit," Kiba threatened. Chouji's eyes widened comically.

-

"You. Wouldn't. Dare."

-

"Yes. I would." Kiba moved his head back and made a loud noise at the back of his throat.

-

"Oh! Chips!"

-

A tanned hand easily lifted the bag up, ignorant of the fight between the two boys. Chouji and Kiba stared stunned at the blond who munched happily at the bag. "Mmph...fanks guhs," Naruto said between mouthfuls. Precious crumbs spilled from his mouth and down his shirt. He swallowed. "The lunch lines were closed before I could get to 'em. The old hag kept us longer this time." Within a few seconds, he had finished the bag and tilted it to catch the last few morsels that tumbled out into his tongue. He threw the empty bag over his shoulder and scanned the table.

-

"Is there any mor- OW!"

-

Two angry fists hovered over the blonde as he bended forward, both hands over a developing lump of pain at the back of his head. With watery eyes, Naruto turned furiously at Chouji and Kiba. "What the hell was that for!"

-

"Idiot!" Kiba growled, bunching up the front of Naruto's shirt in his fist. "I was going to eat that!"

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"I was!" Chouji yelled in the background.

-

Sensing the great amount of rage the two together emitted, Naruto decided it was better to offer some sort of appeasement rather than get into yet another fight. He had enough of fighting for one day already and didn't look forward to going back to Tsunade a second time. "Eh...heh...how about I buy you guys something at the snack machines?" he said apologetically.

-

Shikamaru, who was previously content with just being a spectator, lifted his head in interest. "Don't you have other stuff to pay for Naruto?" he said casually, raising a worried brow.

-

At the reminder of Naruto's financial status, both Kiba and Chouji softened. It wasn't as if Naruto was the only one who was ever under financial strain. All of them had experienced the stress at one time or another; it was one of the founding principles of their friendship. Even if most of their families have moved beyond the point, it was understood amongst the group not to mention anything about money. They preferred the park or the beach over the stores and the malls. They didn't exchange large gifts during Christmas or any other holidays. They knew better than to brag or become jealous if one of them were to be lucky enough to afford something nice.

-

It was a group based on friendship, trust, and loyalty with silent rules based around the three.

-

One of the most important of these silent rules was to not make a big stink of Naruto's situation. It took them years to build enough trust for the blond to confess and the topic was still too fragile to take on lightly. Unlike the rest of them, Naruto lived alone because of being orphaned at a very young age. A friend of the family had stepped forward to take responsibility but his career forced the kind man to travel for long periods of time, leaving the teen rather lonely when growing up. There was a steady flow of money but it was a barely a trickle; barely enough to pay the bills, the rent, and few other things. Otherwise, Naruto had to rely on side jobs to bring in what he needed from day to day.

-

"Ah, don't worry about it guys," Naruto said jokingly, pushing Kiba away from him and straightening out his shirt. "There was a big tipper yesterday who gave me a ten spot instead of a one. I can spare a couple of bucks."

-

The three exchanged glances at one another. "Maybe you should save it man," Kiba muttered akwardly, "Just in case-"

-

"Oh, come off it. I'm really hungry and I was planning on buying something from the machines anyway," Naruto interrupted with a careless swipe of the hand. A wild grin appeared on his tanned face. "Look, it's only a couple of dollars and I have P.E. next period. I'm not facing Gai on an empty stomach."

-

At the mention of the infamous green leotard-clad eccentric, a light laughter spread around the four. Shikamaru even summed up enough energy to crack a smile. Naruto started to walk across the cafeteria floor towards the machines and motioned for the others to follow. The four of them sauntered off, ignoring how the small crowds of students had begun to move away from the approaching group. Kiba had even flicked off a group of girls who hadn't bother to disguise their disgust. They knew they were not the most beloved group in the school but it wasn't surprising considering that they were likely the four most socially challenged group in the school.

-

Kiba was the trash-talking temperamental guy who smelled like the dogs his family bred.

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Chouji was the chunky non-attractive guy with self-esteem issues.

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Shika was a rumored brainiac who couldn't care less what people had to say.

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And finally, the most hated of them all: Naruto. The guy who Sasuke hated thus the entire school hated as well.

-

But none of that mattered to them. Currently, all that really mattered resided in a tall metal machine with a large glass front to view the delicious contents inside. Kiba and Chouji chose the same thing: BBQ chips. Shika, after much prodding from the others, settled on a bag of unsalted trail mix. Naruto took out the money, paid, and distributed the snacks accordingly. When it was his turn, the blond scowled when he noticed the row with the packages of ramen had been emptied. "Damn it. I really needed it today too. Gai said yesterday that we're going to do laps again...forty of them!" The boy groaned and kicked the machine in frustration.

-

"Why don't use the machines in the teacher's lounge?" Kiba said as he opened his bag with a pop.

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Naruto contemplated the option. "But won't I get in trouble for going there?"

-

"Just say you're getting it for another teacher," offered Shikamaru, tossing around his bag and picking through for the small pretzels, "Besides, most of the teachers eat lunch in the classrooms now. It'll probably be empty."

-

"I do it all the time because they have the better stuff there. It's cheaper there too," Chouji offered, half of his bag already gone.

-

Cheaper? Better stuff? They might even have the new flavor of ramen, lemon flavored chicken. The final thought made Naruto's mouth water. "O-okay! I'll be right back guys!" The teen gave a small wave before rushing out of the cafeteria. Shika was the only one who returned the wave as the other two were too busy finishing their snacks. He noticed how the whispers were louder as soon as Naruto left the cafeteria. Especially a small group of stocky jocks near where they were standing.

-

"Good riddance," growled a thick muscled guy to his group of two followers. Kiba, Chouji, and Shika glanced to his direction, eyes darkened. "That Uzumaki...he's such an idiot." The two smaller boys nodded eagerly.

-

"Yeah! And he looks so goofy too! Those stupid line things on his face...? I mean, what the _hell_ is that supposed to be?" said one, laughing obnoxiously.

-

Shikamaru heard the low thunderous growl eminating from Kiba. Chouji was deathly quiet but he surely held the same tightly clenched fist as they all did. It was no question that they were protective of Naruto. He, out of all of them, didn't deserve the daily insults and jeers. The boy had done nothing but become the known rival of a school favorite. To everyone else, Naruto was perfectly polite, even kind.

-

"And _orange_...? He wears those ugly clothes almost every. Single. Day."

-

"Isn't that the shirt he wore just last week? Jesus, I hope he at least washes them."

-

"He should spend more money to buy something halfway decent. The guy must be stupid and blind-"

-

CRACK.

-

Kiba's hard fist collided with the side of the larger guy's head, knocking him onto the floor. "Don't. Ever. Judge. Him." He yelled, punching the guy's face with each word. One of the two smaller guys quickly tackled the boy off his leader and started to swing punches at the dog-boy. One of the other smaller guys had rushed to aid his fellow subordinate but was quickly stopped by Chouji.

-

"Get out of the way, fatso," he seethed. Chouji's eyes flared. In a flash, a hard punch met the subordinate's stomach. The next second, both boys were on the floor, swinging haphazardly at one another.

-

The larger boy, finally getting back to his senses, picked himself up from the floor and moved towards Kiba in a murderous intent. However, Shikamaru quickly blocked his path and dodged the swing the boy aimed at his head. "You fool," the spiky pony-tailed boy muttered, a calm rage evident in his tone, "You're the ugliest one here." The larger boy, at the insult, contorted his face ferociously and let out a roar before swinging haphazardly at the shorter boy. Shikamaru dodged easily and swung his leg at the boy's kneecaps. There was a dull crack as the boy fell, grasping the joint and howling in pain.

-

A few more seconds, the teachers on duty were finally able to reach the boys through the large gathered crowd of students. It took some effort to pry apart the ones on the floor; Shikamaru simply looked down menacingly at the larger boy howling on the floor.

-

"You boys again!" cried an enraged teacher as she pulled the boys apart and caught a good look at their faces. "You three are definitely...this is the absolutely the final straw!"

-

At the entrance to the cafeteria, Naruto had finally returned from his snack run when the boys were being roughly shuffled away towards the main office. The three packages of ramen he held fell to the floor at the words being screamed by a frenzied teacher.

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"_EXPELLED_ Every single one of you! You'll never step inside this school ever again!"

-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

-

After the incident, Naruto desperately wanted to see what had become of his friends. However, the office remained closed off to students for the rest of the day and Naruto still had the rest of his classes attend. Shizune could sense the urgency in his pleading voice but remained stern. "Come back after school," she had whispered to him before closing the door tightly.

In order to burn off the stress, he had participated in Gai's forty laps around the track and even finished second after a senior named Lee. Gai congratulated him but the enthusiasm was lost in the blond who only smiled wearily. He felt worse in Kurenai's class since he shared it with Chouji and Kiba. Optimistically, Naruto kept looking up towards the door, hoping the two would show up and cursing about detentions.

-

Both of their desks remained empty the entire class.

-

Right after the bell, Naruto dashed straight towards Tsunade's office. The older blonde, anticipating the meeting, opened the door before he even had a chance to knock. He immediately took his normal seating and waited patiently for her to be seated before asking.

-

"I'm sorry Naruto," she answered, tucking a few thick manila envelopes in her left side drawer. "It's out of my hands. You're friends went too far this time." She purposely avoided looking at his face as the unfamiliar despair sounded in his voice. "This is the third fight they have gotten into this year and there was a boy's broken kneecap this time. The administrators would fire me if I don't expel them."

-

"B-but its not like they fight all the time!" he said harshly, his hands clenched tightly on the side of the wooden chairs. "I mean...me and Sasuke fight all the time! A-and the worse I get is deten-!"

-

"It's because he's an Uchiha," Tsunade interrupted, looking into his eyes meaningfully, "Of course you'll get off easy. Whatever punishment I give you, I'll have to give to him and the school board would have my head if I _breath _on an Uchiha too harshly. "

-

Naruto slumped into his chair at her words. He began to chew on his bottom lip nervously, reeling his mind for any possible solution but all he could think of was 'expelled' and what it truly meant.

-

Expelled. They would have to go to different schools in the area. Of course, they would keep in contact but all lived a good distance away from each other. None of them could afford visiting on a regular basis; that would be a waste of time and money. And in combination with Naruto's work and school, he'll be lucky to see them an hour or two per week.

-

Kiba...Chouji...Shikamaru. They were all going to be expelled. Gone from school.

-

_ Gone from him._

-

Naruto's head snapped up. There must be something that could be done! His determined gaze focused on her stoic face. "Please, Tsunade! Can't you do anything? Anything!"

-

She sighed and looked away again. It hurt her to see her favored student in such a tough situation but her hands were really tied. Expulsion was a punishment that traveled to the very top. If she even tried to suggest a lesser punishment, she could be easily overridden and fired on the spot. "Naruto...I can't. I'm sor-"

-

"You're the principal and you can't do anything? Then what the hell do you do, old hag!" Hearing the 'hag' part, Tsunade jerked her head back to face Naruto. Her eyes flashed dangerously; Naruto grew silent. Honestly, her mind had been working on a solution to the dilemma ever since the familiar boys stepped into her office. But the solution she reached was not at all attractive. Tsunade was hesitant of revealing it to the boy but it was clear he would do anything to help out his friends.

-

Even if it meant giving himself to the person who knew how to hurt him the most.

-

"_I_ can't do anything, Naruto," she muttered in a low tone," But it doesn't mean anything can be done."

-

-

-

Fwee! Cliffhanger for all! Sorry about the lack of really nice Naruto/Sasuke moments but next chapter would make up for it. This chapter was meant to serve as a backdrop for the action later on. And they'll be lots of it. Guaranteed. Right now, I have the second chapter about 3/4 done so expect it up within the next few days. Please review. This has got to be one of the longest chapters I've done for any story and I would really appreciate some feedback.

Thank you, kindly. :-D


	2. The Devil Deals

Gah! Sorry for the lateness but it's been a real drag trying to get everything done around here. ;;

**Disclaimer**: Naruto belongs to the world!...But the copyright goes to Masashi Kishimoto. -sniff-

**Chapter Summary**: The deal is created and executed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_We are crooked souls trying to stay up straight._

_-Switchfoot's 'Shadow Proves the Sunshine' _

-

"I can't do anything, Naruto," she muttered in a low tone," But it doesn't mean anything can be done."

-

**Chapter Two: The Devil Deals**

-

The door to the Student Council office was definitely more ominous looking than the other doors. Something about its bare smooth surface and its immaculate brass doorknob made Naruto feel like he had stumbled upon the lair full of blood-thirsty dragons and demons. Unlike the other rooms of the school, this one was absolutely off limits to anyone who didn't have expressed permission from select members of the school. It was a place where the absolute elite breathed important and meaningful things; they needed the room to not be loud and distracting. Naruto was practically the embodiment of both.

-

There was a moment of hesitation when his hand lifted itself shakily to the doorknob. Uncertainty exploded and the space between his shaking fingers and the cool metal seemed to close in of their own free will. He gulped and pushed his growing anxiety back deep into his gut. He couldn't be afraid now; too much was on the line! Shika, Kiba, and Chouji all depended on him. Naruto stiffened his fingers and curved them mechanically over the knob. Damn it, even if he was going to have to go on his hands and knees-!

-

Suddenly, the door opened and a tall shadow emerged from the room, spilling into the hallway and onto Naruto. A warm lithe body stopped when it lightly bumped into the frozen blond.

-

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" The tone was familiar. Soft and deep with a hint of mild surprise.

-

Startled, Naruto stepped back. His face broke into a relieved grin when he realized who it was or, more accurately, who it wasn't. Naruto hadn't quite mentally prepared himself yet and was grateful for the any excuse to stall. "N-Neji!" the younger boy rattled, face breaking into a large shaky grin. Oh god, please be leaving, he thought wildly, I don't want _anyone_ to finding out I'm doing this. He hoped the long haired senior was on his way home or work or anywhere else but here.

-

It wasn't because Naruto and Neji had a particularly bad relationship. In fact, one may say they were almost friendly towards one another, but Naruto had always felt some tension between them. The Hyuuga had always kept his distance but remained one of the few who treated him with any amount of decency. The blond often wondered if it had something to do with what had happened the previous year when they had fought and, in a miraculous turn of events, he had won. After the initial shock and excitement by the school, most had chosen to chalk up the victory as a fluke and made it out as another reason to outcast Naruto even further. On the other hand, Neji had gained a substantial amount of admirers when girls fawned over his injuries. Though he never personally witnessed it first-hand, Naruto could imagine the numerous girls who begged a chance to 'nurse' him back to health.

-

All in all, the last thing Naruto expected was for Neji to actually become...kinder. For weeks, Naruto had avoided him (and his flock of murderous fans). But in such a close-knit school, their meetings were inevitable. Eventually, those coincidental passings in the hallways and the quick glances across the room turned into friendly greetings and even an exchange of smiles and waves. The blond was utterly lost at the change of character in Neji but when a slightly awkward smile aimed his way, Naruto never hesitated in returning it. It was a reflex.

-

Though he knew very well that it was foolish to think this way, Naruto didn't grow suspicious of Neji's motives or reasons. If Neji wanted to some sort of revenge, he reasoned, it was easier and quicker to be straightforward of it. God knows the Hyuuga genius had the means and influence. Fortunately for him, there didn't seem to be any malicious motives at all.

-

The simple gestures of Neji discretely delivered combined with Naruto's eagerness to return it lead both youths to create a strange understanding between them. In front of large crowds, they acted quite impassively towards one another but, in between classes and in places with little attention, the two would give a friendly wave and even chance a warm greeting. Their relationship was steering itself into a positive direction and Naruto made sure to handle the situation as delicately as he could. Slowly but surely, this must be the beginnings of a strong friendship. At least, he hoped it was.

-

However, all the progress they made this year could be likely lost today. Once Naruto confronts Sasuke, he could very easily be forced into something that would completely destroy any respect he had gained from Neji. This both worried and angered him. Sasuke, his rival and all-out bastard, had this much control over his relationships but it couldn't be helped. Whatever happened, Shika, Chouji, and Kiba would still stick with him (They better. After all, I'm doing this for them.). If Neji reverted back to rejecting him, than maybe they were not meant to be friends.

-

It was a very depressing thought.

-

"H-hey, Neji! What are you up to?" Naruto began nervously, scratching the back of his head.

-

"The school council meets every Thursday to bring up new issues concerning the school. I stay behind to properly document and file our meetings," Neji replied calmly, giving a small reassuring smile. "What about you, Naruto? Do you have a complaint of some sort...?"

-

"No!" the blond quickly said, meeting the pale eyes of the older boy, "I-I just wondered if...Sasuke's still here...?" There was a forced laugh afterwards, knowing fully well how strange it was for him to ask the question. He let out a deep breathe, to relax, and started to talk more hurriedly, "I-Its okay if he already left, ya'know! 'Cause I can always come back-".

-

As if in answer, a distinct voice called over Neji's shoulder. "Move, Hyuuga. You're blocking the exit." Naruto's face visibly paled as the familiar dark spikes of hair appeared. Neji let out a scowl at being addressed so rudely before stepping to the side of the doorway. The senior morphed the formerly pleasant smile into a worried frown when he glanced back and forth between the two juniors.

-

"Seems like you have a visitor, Uchiha," the senior informed, waving his right hand in Naruto's direction.

-

Naruto could see Sasuke's eyes widen just a fraction in mild astonishment before settling back down to its original aristocratic form. "Uzumaki." Black onyx eyes regarded him coldly, momentarily glancing at Naruto's empty hands before traveling up to the whiskered face and resting on his azure eyes. If it weren't for the predicament, the blond would've responded with an intense glare and a deserving insult or two. But, the fact of the matter was, he needed the bastard's help. If only it was possible for him to get the favor by punching that pretty little face in and leave it so bruised, swollen, scarred, maimed-

-

"Idiot." Sasuke interrupted, glowering at the blond while Neji stiffened nearby, "As interesting as it is seeing you make those happy faces, I have more important things to do. What do you want here?"

-

"I-we need to talk," Naruto managed to say, his voice shaking just a bit. Partially from being understandably flustered and partially from swallowing down his own retorts back at the paler boy. "I-I mean...I want to talk to you...about something." He gave an apologetic glance at Neji, who was watching rather closely. Too closely. "Um...alone." Neji looked carefully at the pleading blue eyes aimed his way. His pale purple-tinted eyes turned to glimpse at Sasuke before lowering themselves back at Naruto.

-

"Are you sure you don't...?"

-

"Thanks but its okay," Naruto said, laughter lacing his voice at Neji's cautious attitude, "Talking and just talking. That's it. Promise." His eyes stared pleadingly until the long-haired boy finally sighed and moved himself into the middle of the hallway, leaving the doorway clear for the junior. Over Naruto's shoulder, he gave a meaningful look towards the Uchiha who didn't quite catch the emotion in his white eyes. The tanned boy turned to say his goodbye to the parting Hyuuga, who had already placed on a melancholy expression. "Thanks Neji! I owe you one!" In response, the senior class president gave an awkward wave before leaving.

-

"Take care, Naruto."

-

Blue eyes looked appreciatively onwards on the back of the parting Hyuuga. Even after the boy vanished around the corner, his face didn't turn back to Sasuke until the echo of the footsteps grew very faint. When it finally did so, Naruto met a very annoyed Uchiha who held all the markings of a long exhausting school day. Great, a grumpy Sasuke would be so much easier to handle, he thought sardonically.

-

"What exactly is so important, Uzumaki?" The paler junior scathingly asked, leaning his weight on one leg as he readjusted the strap of his leather case. Naruto distracted himself on the delicate fingers struggling with the metal buckle, purposely avoiding Sasuke's face as he spoke.

-

"I need to talk to you," he started, slightly surprised at how steady his voice had become, "Can we...can we go somewhere more private?"

-

Sasuke furrowed his brows at Naruto, who stood firmly rooted in front of him. For a moment, the blond worried that the spiky haired boy would simply refuse to listen and brush off anything he had to say. If that were to happen, they would quite possibly end up in another fight. It certainly wouldn't be out of character for them, to say the least. Though, as Naruto grudgingly reminded himself, he had promised Neji that all he was there to do was talk.

-

Before the whiskered teen could think any further, a slight shift of movement caught his eye. "Hn. Fine, Uzumaki." Sasuke said tiredly, still holding on to smugness with a well placed smirk. He had finished with the buckle of his case and was now backing into the room, leading the way for a surprised Naruto to follow. "Don't touch anything." Naruto grinded his teeth for a moment but kept his mouth tightly shut and followed.

-

He gingerly stepped onto the squeaky linoleum floor and couldn't help but gape around the infamous council room. It was meticulously kept up with shining windows and floors. Though mostly bare, the walls seemed freshly painted and free from marks and punctures with hanging shelves of trophies and books. There were also a few pieces of student artwork throughout the room alongside vases of blooming flowers. A large table was in the farthest corner, surrounded with tall cushioned chairs and covered with neatly stacked folders and files. In the corner of his eye, he would see a mini fridge and even a small television set neatly on top. Naruto wondered if Tsunade knew about the luxury of the student council. He remembered the prestige of the members themselves and grudgingly reasoned that the room must've been supported by them and not the school.

-

As he thought this, Tsunade's earlier words rang into his head.

-

_...because he's an Uchiha._

-

Yeah, that's why, the young tanned boy reasoned bitterly as he watched Sasuke settle himself comfortably against the opposite wall, because he's a freakin' Uchiha. Naruto, though impossibly oblivious at times, was not a complete idiot. He could see why the Uchiha Sasuke was the most beloved character in the entire school. The boy, with his contrasting pale skin and dark hair and sharp features, was abnormally handsome. He was leaned and toned from years of school athletics and had proven exceptional in every area he showed the most remote interest in. Naruto had to be an utter dimwit to ignore those highly attractive qualities in the pale boy. Talented. Intelligent. Handsome. Rich.

-

Naruto simply _wasn't_ any of those things.

-

...all that admiration.

-

...all that wealth.

-

...all that power.

-

Naruto simply _didn't have _any of those things.

With his laughable grades and hyper personality, he was far from being considered talented or intelligent. Few girls ever gave any indication of his forever sun-kissed skin, the unruly golden hair, or his small stout body was anything even close to 'hot'. It was a lucky day if he found more than ten bucks in his ragged wallet.

-

No. He was not any of those things. Naruto and Sasuke were total opposites in every way, shape, and form. They represented a unique combination of balance and conflict with each other, as if born to act as counterparts in a demented play. It was a part they both played well in the world. Day in and day out without fail. Until the scent of their mingled blood and sweat filled ever fiber of their being, it will never be enough. Naruto couldn't remember when all of this first started and, staring back into the inky eyes of his rival in that dimly lit room, he doubted Sasuke did either. Proven genius be damned.

-

Because it was a lot easier to hate when they both thought this way.

-

_I didn't like you because you didn't like me first. _

-

It was really that simple.

-

Naruto was abruptly broken out of his thoughts at a familiar 'Hn' from across the room. He looked up and saw Sasuke regarding him expectantly with one fine brow tilted up as if to say '_Well? _For a moment, the silence flooded the room as the air thickened with tension. Amusingly, Naruto noted this was probably the longest time the two had ever been alone without getting into either a verbal or physical fight. They would've gone after each other's throats within ten minutes without a teacher present. An hour tops with one.

-

Naruto moved his face so that his eyes locked unblinkingly onto Sasuke. For a moment, he was lost in those unfeeling eyes staring lazily back into his. It sent a shudder down his spine at how cold those black obsidians could become, especially compared to his own warming eyes in reflection. However, he tucked away the nervousness and began in what was sure to be an awkward conversation. "I want. To make. A deal. With you." Each syllable had been carefully emphasized and Naruto could hear his own pronunciation faintly echo off the walls of the room.

-

Another silence. And then-

-

"Care to repeat that, Uzumaki?"

-

There was a slow exhale from the other as his eyes narrowed murderously at the class president. Both knew Sasuke's hearing was perfect but Naruto decided to continue for the sake of being civil. Beating the guy into an oozing bloody pulp might ruin his chances of getting the favor. "My friends are in really deep shit now, Uchiha," Naruto explained patiently," And I need you to tell the school board to lay off." He was careful to keep his voice uncharacteristically low and controlled. It would capture more attention.

-

There was silence as Sasuke fully absorbed the words that came from the blond's mouth. Whether bewildered or devious, his true feelings were expertly concealed over a face of blank emotion. Naruto's eyes stared unblinkingly on his face, all seriousness in his bright azure eyes, ready to catch any slip of the cool facade. Finally, the hardened black eyes, half-lidded, met straight into the blue.

-

"What makes you think I'll help you?" Sasuke started softly, "If you haven't noticed, we aren't exactly on friendly terms."

-

Of course, he had expected this. Naruto knew Sasuke was not the type who did favors or acts of charity without gaining something in return, something many of his blinded fans would surely dismiss. His throat suddenly parched, the blond readied himself for the impact of his next few words, knowing fully well it had the high possibility of ruining his life. But, in that same thought, he knew it was the only way to help his friends. "I don't have a lot," he said carefully, "B-but I'll do one thing for you. A favor. As long as it doesn't involve anything illegal or hurt anyone." The last bit was added underhandedly out of caution.

-

Sasuke had immediately straightened up his posture, a disgustingly smug look on his face. Naruto chewed on his tongue, trying to scrape the developed fuzziness off itself. He focused his concentration back at Sasuke, grimly noting the superior look he had on his face. The bastard was enjoying all of this, no doubt about that. But it was still unsure if the school prodigy would accept the offer, even if it did give him free reign over Naruto. Handling the school board to release three adolescences who have had a past record was going to be tricky even with his family persuasion, though not entirely impossible. Whatever Sasuke was going to ask, Naruto already knew he was going to hate it just as much as he hated him.

-

The anticipation for an answer was killing him. The Uchiha was taking a much longer time with deciding than he originally planned and that unfamiliar glazed look as they watched each other forced Naruto to shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Well?" he finally asked, minutely flinching at the harsh echo of the room, breaking the still silence. Sasuke seemed to have broken out of his previous distracted state and was now calmly straightening himself off the wall. Careful as if not to scare the blond away, he approached Naruto with predetermined steps and stopped a suitable but close distance. Exactly three floor tiles, Naruto counted subconsciously.

-

"What I want," Sasuke began, purposely drawing out each syllable in poisoned honeyed tones, "Is that necklace." A hand gently lifted itself up and a finger pointed at the thin chain around his tanned neck.

-

Naruto's heart stopped.

-

"No way!" he said reflexively, raising both hands protectively along his neckline. He coiled his fingers over the chain and centered jewels, trying to shield itself from Sasuke's satisfied gaze. His face turned out a deep scowl when he realized the fault of his action. With all the time spent together fighting and cursing each other's existence, the taller boy would've noticed how cherished the necklace is to the blond and his outburst provided the reassurance.

-

"A-anything else, Uchiha," Naruto said, voice hopeful, "How about me not bothering you? No talking back, no insults, no stealing your stuff and selling it off to your fans. I won't even fight you for the rest of the year!"

-

At this, Sasuke's eyes narrowed and his smirk faltered ever so slightly. "No, thank you, Uzumaki. The necklace, I happen to like it-"

-

"Then why don't you just get your own!" he shouted back, fingers tightening. His words echoed along the walls and he could see those deep onyx eyes harden.

-

"Because I want _yours_," the other replied plainly, leaning closer into the despairing boy, "Hand it over...or your friends are gone." The tone had become as soft and dangerous as a snake's hiss.

-

Naruto grinded his teeth. The choice was painfully obvious but it didn't make it any easier to make. Handing over the necklace felt like he was betraying Tsunade's trust of him in protecting it. Would she mind knowing the situation? In his mind, he reasoned she would be completely understanding. However, in the all the time he had taken care of it, the necklace had become a cherished part of him. During the lonely hectic times at work or in his apartment with nothing warm but a cup of ramen, he had traced the outline of the chain, both comforted and content. It represented something much more than his bond with Tsunade. It embodied his bond with everyone who was ever close to him.

-

And Sasuke wanted it. Naruto could see it in how the corners of his pale thin lips curl casually underneath the sharp shadows of his bangs. But the circumstances were completely against him to refuse the Uchiha. His friends...will come first.

-

Afterwards, the blond would make sure the pale boy would regret not taking up the 'no fights for the rest of the year' deal.

-

With a defeated growl, his fingers loosened its grasp and slowly made its way to the back at the clasp. He avoided the gaze of the other, concentrating his attention of the floor instead. With the clasp undone, the necklace fell daintily to the awaiting palm of his other hand. The junior rubbed the back of his tanned neck, brushing away the naked feeling without the familiar weight. He gazed sadly at the pretty thing in his hand, letting his eyes glazing over at the shimmering crystals and admiring the simplistic beauty of the jewelry. It was likely the last time he'd ever see it again.

-

An impatient hand, palm up and fingers slightly curled, reached out for the jewelry. Naruto glared at the Sasuke before roughly shoving the item into his hand, hoping his unevenly bitten nails would leave sharp scratches on the skin. Unfazed, the taller boy delicately raised the necklace to eye level, allowing the natural sunlight from the windows to capture it in tiny reflecting rainbows. Satisfied, he brought the ends of the chain around his neck and did the clasp securely behind the soft tufts of black hair.

-

Naruto had to admit, very reluctantly, that it somehow suited his class president. The pale skin with the aged silver made a good match. The three pieces of crystal in the center caught colors and gave life to the overall dark look of the Uchiha. The refined elegance his rival always carried had been increased by the simplistic charm of it all. Naruto was so preoccupied with this loathing admiration, he didn't notice the calculated gaze Sasuke aimed at him.

-

"You really like this thing, don't you, Uzumaki?" he asked with a smug note. Teasingly, he brushed his fingertips gingerly around his neck and around the side of the chain. Blue eyes trailed close behind, hypnotized.

-

"Just-Just remember our deal, bastard," Naruto muttered, blue eyes leaving the neck and locking themselves back onto dark eyes, "And don't leave it in salt water too long."

-

"Hn, and what if I do?" Sasuke replied carelessly, "It doesn't seem to be too expensive to replace and, now that I have it, doesn't seem very attractive at all." A sly smirk appeared at Naruto's widened eyes. "Don't worry, I'll still help your friends as par our deal...but I can't very well walk around with something this gaudy around my neck. I do have some amount of self-dignity."

-

"Than why the hell did you ask for it! What the hell did you want with it! If I knew you didn't even care about it, I wouldn't have given it to you, bastard!" Naruto slammed a fist back at the wall behind him. Sasuke gave a slight shrug of the shoulder in reply, a smirk hinting his lips. It infuriated the blond knowing how his precious thing was at the disposal of his rival. But it was worse knowing his rival didn't give a shit about what happened to it.

-

"...I don't know what I'll do with it," admitted the other, "Should I'll give it to one of my many admirers, donate it to a worthy charitable cause, pawn it in some remote shop somewhere, or maybe-"

-

"Fuck you, Uchiha! I hope you choke to death in your own pile of cra-!"

-

"-give it back to you."

-

"...what?" Naruto had stopped suddenly, his body frozen in what seemed to be a threatening gesture. Sasuke cocked his head amusingly, his signature smirk ever widening, eyes glinting predatorily.

-

"I said, _moron_," he continued, "That I might give it back to you."

-

It took a few more moments for Naruto to fully understand what had come out of Sasuke's mouth. Usually, the blond's personality didn't see the point of being suspicious of anyone's actions, thinking that taking things directly was the best way to deal with a situation. However, it was not usual for his rival to offer something...like this. Naruto was sure there was some sort of trickery involved so he chose to approach with the utmost caution. Even so, a little piece of him hoped Sasuke was serious. Maybe the Uchiha, possibly the most cold-hearted person in the entire school, was not the-

-

"Provided you do me a service, of course."

-

-biggest asshole in the history of the universe!

-

Naruto crossed his arms lossely over his chest and frowned at the smirking Uchiha. "What kind of 'service?" he asked curiously.

-

There was an uncharacteristic hesitation wherein black onyx eyes bore onto cautious blue.

-

"Well?" He could see the necklace taunting him along the pale neckline and it was testing his patience, or lack thereof, for the Uchiha.

-

"One kiss. Everyday. For the rest of the school year. Those are my terms, Uzumaki."

-

"What!"

-

The surprise outburst seemed to have been expected since Sasuke had a controlled smirk on his features. "Let me kiss you, without any resistance, everyday for the rest of the school year. On the last day, if you keep your end, I shall hand it over to you. Miss a day that isn't a fault of my own and the deal is off."

-

"..."

-

"Its all very simple, Uzumaki. Even an idiot like you should understand this."

-

Naruto broke out of his trance and was now had an skeptical look dawning his features. "A-are you sure...?" he asked, slightly flustered, "B-but why...would you want to-?"

-

There came harsh scoff from the other. "If you're thinking that I have any of those tender feelings for you, Uzumaki, then you are more thick-headed than I thought."

-

Naruto swallowed hard. Truthfully, he had thought that way for a second and he felt himself blushing at how stupid he had been to think that way of his vowed rival. Still, out of all the things to ask..."Why that?" he muttered uncertainly at the class president, "Why would you-?"

-

There was a dark chuckle. "Think about it, stupid. It isn't that complicated my reasonings for doing this to you. Just answer quickly. I'm already as late as it is."

-

"Shut up bastard!" It was all too confusing for the blond and the obvious smugness of the other didn't make it easy for him to focus. Kissing? The last time he checked, Naruto was sure those were acts between friends, families, or lovers. It wasn't supposed to happen between blood rivals who beat each other to a pulp every other day. But then, what could it be? He looked over at Sasuke, scanning his face for the answers. Those inky condescending eyes stared back, daring Naruto to come up with the reasons himself.

-

Then it clicked.

-

Fighting was apparently no longer enough. They had passed beyond degrading and demeaning each other with mere taunts and jeers. Sasuke wanted more. He wanted to make Naruto helpless and embarrassed. He wanted to mortify the blond and, with the set conditions, make it impossible for him to seek the comfort of his friends. It was meant to be kept as a secret between them and give a daily dose of dominance for Sasuke over his rival.

-

The cold-hearted bastard had managed to twist an act of love into an act of perfectly fitted vengence for Naruto.

-

_That **bastard**._

-

It was a good plan. An exceptional plan worthy of being created by the proclaimed Uchiha genius. Even as the victim, Naruto felt some sort of begrudging admiration for him to come up with it. For the necklace, would he go through with it? Would...could he make that decision? His mind carefully contemplated his options.

-

A few sacrificed seconds a day wasn't _too_ bad, especially considering what was at stake. It was a strange ordeal, yes, but nothing that the stubborn boy couldn't handle in order to get his precious item back. Besides, once he was able to get the necklace and fulfill his end of the bargain, they only had one more year of high school before never having the 'pleasure' of seeing each other ever again. Once this relatively short time in his life was over, it was over for good. This was to become a forgotten memory, only to be relived on his deathbed as a moment of necessary evil.

-

Yes, he will be mortified.

-

Yes, it was a horrible situation.

-

Yes, it was going to make his junior year absolutely suck.

-

But, it was what had to be done. To get his friends and his necklace back.

-

"I-if I did it-!" Naruto muttered roughly, an easy flush gracing his cheek, "If I...if I let you _kiss_ me, would you give it back?" There was a noticeable shudder in his words as the sentenced awkwardly fell off his lips.

-

"Yes, I'll give it back to you at the end," the other repeated," When you and I are done, I'll give this gaudy piece of trash back to you."

-

"Fine," he muttered in relunctant defeat. He kept his eyes away from the Uchiha, who was no doubt highly pleased with his answer. There was a stillness in the air as Sasuke memorialized the moment of victory. After a minute, he shifted himself up and moved towards Naruto. The blonde stood still, telling himself that in a few short seconds it would be over. No one but them would know about this and he could still fight with the Uchiha as usual (and oh boy, he couldn't wait until then). The thought provided little comfort as he concentrated on Sasuke, slowly closing the distance between them.

-

As he inched closer, purposely stretching the seconds to their full worth, Sasuke noticed amusingly the tightly clenched fists by Naruto's side. They were shaking in anger at the helplessness of the situation. He soaked up the full fury emitting from the shorter boy like a sponge before leaning closer and closer. Then, finally, Naruto could feel the initial contact. It was a bare brush of the lips but the unfamiliar touch made Naruto flinch. It was a soft pressure; cool and maybe even pleasant if circumstances were different. But only one repetitive thought burned through his mind as Sasuke continued. It repeatedly banged itself in against one side of his skull and echoed off toward the other in a nauseating rhythm.

-

This was wrong. This was completely gross and sick and disgusting and weird and wrong.

-

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

-

Sasuke was his rival. He was a jerk and an asshole and a bastard. This prissy pale boy with dark duck butt hair was everything Naruto hated. He had everything but valued nothing. He had everyone's admiration and friendship but treated them all like trash. Sasuke Uchiha was the blood rival. The enemy.

-

And he was kissing him.

-

Slightly chaste lips gently suckling his own.

-

A smooth wet tongue bidding for entrance.

-

Cool fingers held tightly onto the back of his neck and lacing themselves possessively in the hair.

-

Naruto could even feel the other's oppressive body heat through the thickness of their clothes.

-

Everything. Sasuke didn't hold back. Naruto, in opposition, stiffened like a statue; his eyes glued shut.

-

When they finally separated, Naruto had immediately exhaled the breath held in during the kiss after opening his eyes. His face had become dark red from both the lack of oxygen and the humiliation of allowing the Uchiha to kiss him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the blond noted the prickling of goosebumps spreading across his skin. Almost immediately, he brought up the back of his right hand to wipe away the remnants of Sasuke from his tingling lips and made sure to make a show of spitting at the other's feet.

-

Complete Revulsion. Utter disgust. Naruto hoped to clearly portray those things in his eyes. He didn't want to let the bastard think for a second that the kiss was enjoyable at all. That would destroy the last piece of dignity he had in this situation and he would no sooner walk around stark naked than let Sasuke think otherwise. He refused to allow Sasuke to take that last piece away from him.

-

Trying to disguise his own shaking hands, the Uchiha brushed his fingers through the thick of his bangs before letting them fall down over his face again. Darkened eyes held a look of blank emotion as they traveled over Naruto's slumped form. Naruto tried to distract his own uneasiness by straightening up and subconsciously straightening his clothes and flattening his hair. However, try as he might, he could do nothing against the fixed heat on his cheeks. Numbly, he straightened his back and lifted his chin higher than he would normally. His eyes managed to catch the last rays of light and it highlighted the bright azure dancing in his pupils. Sasuke stared, half-lidded and unfocused.

-

"What are you looking at!"

-

Since the first time since they entered the council room together, Sasuke did nothing in response to Naruto. Not a smirk. Not an insult. Not even a scoff. Nothing. Instead, the Uchiha shook himself out of his trance and gathered his attention to the almost forgotten leather case on the desk nearby. After lifting the bag up and resting the strap comfortably against his shoulder, the pale boy strided off to the door, skillfully passing and ignoring his fuming classmate.

-

"I-I hate you, bastard," Naruto snarled, hands tightly fisted to his side.

-

Sasuke stopped mid-step. For what seemed to be the umpteenth time that afternoon, a deathly silence gathered around the two and wrapped around their stiffened figures. This time, it was Sasuke's turn to break it. "See you tomorrow, Naruto." Even in the moment of blinding cloud of fury and humiliation, the blond couldn't help but whirl around and pierce with widened blue eyes at the Uchiha's retreating back.

-

In all the years of knowing, brawling, and insulting one another, it was the very first time Sasuke had ever used Naruto's first name.

-

-

-To be continued-

**Author's Note:** Oh, boy. Where do I start? The expectations were high, I can feel it in all of your reviews, and I hope this chapter meets that criteria. The first time I opened my email and..._wow_. Though, I can't name and respond to all directly, I do appreciate every one of you for reviewing. Thank you for all the support! I'm really glad my story holds your interests.

Another thing someone brought up is that this fiction will be officially a SasuNaru pairing but as the storyline moves further, I will try to make them as I can write so it'll make some NaruSasu fans happy. They will both have their own weaknesses and problems to angst over with each other providing some sort of support as partners of relationship. :3

Please be patient with this slow writer till the next chapter? Till then, here's a snipit of it to hold you guys over:

_"I'm not anything like you," came the low snarl. The young Uchiha finally took a step back and regarded Naruto with a fierce glare. He smirked wildly when he found the glare returned with equal passion. With full grace, he stepped towards the shorter boy, a wild grin of malice on unblemished features. Naruto, never one for the defensive, stood firmly rooted where he stood with Sasuke boring down on him inches away. His heart thumped savagely in his chest. His breathing shortened drastically. _

Remember to review, please. D;


	3. The Boys Talk

**Disclaimer:** I really _really_ want to own the series...or Kishimoto's free will.

**Chapter Summary:** The deal pulls them together and pushes them away.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_And love is not a victory march; it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah._

_-Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah_

-

In all the years of knowing, brawling, and insulting one another, it was the very first time Sasuke had ever used Naruto's first name.

-

**Chapter Three: The Boys Talk**

**-**

_He's early today._

-

That was the very first thought that came to Naruto's mind as he felt himself being roughly pulled behind a crumbling wall of concrete of an abandoned building near the school. Familiar with this impulsive handling but not enough to suppress the instinctive growl from his throat, the blond fiercely met the blank stare of the other with his own livid eyes. Two hands were already on his shoulders, nails deeply digging into the flesh of his back. They didn't hurt, but it was enough pressure to make Naruto flinch at the contact.

**-**

Sasuke immediately saw this and gave a self-righteous smirk. Hands still pressing the shorter male against the wall, he leaned closer until his breathe ghosted over the outer shell of Naruto's right ear. "After all this time, you should've gotten used to this by now," the Uchiha whispered teasingly, "You're still being such a _girl_ about it, dead-last."

-

Instantly, Naruto turned his head to the side and faced the amused eyes of his rival. "Shut up!" Naruto spitted, a deep red dusting his cheeks. "What about you, huh! You're acting like you're actually_ enjoying _all of this, sick bastard!" However, the shorter boy couldn't deny what Sasuke said was true. He was still as anxious and uncomfortable with this situation as that fateful day in the Student Council room. He had hoped beyond hope of placing these awkward moments into a normal tolerable routine but it seemed the Uchiha had other plans. 'Normal' seemed like a very futile goal.

-

Sasuke liked acting as the dominator and had taken upon himself to kiss Naruto in the most unexpected situations to emphasize this fact. Because both had important reasons to hide this from the public, every brush with the bastard had seemed spontaneous and slightly rushed to prevent any unwanted attention. It was a miracle that no one had caught them yet since the paler boy had become increasingly bolder with time. Sasuke must've developed a strange rush or high as he seemingly dared himself to raise the risks higher and higher each day. It was confusing at first when the tanned boy first begun to notice this. Wouldn't it make sense to be more careful, especially considering what was at stake? While it was true the pale boy rarely made front page news anymore, the media would have no hesitation painting the scandalous affair for weeks on end. It would become the talk of the town for months and would surely put the Uchiha name to shame, something Naruto was very sure Sasuke didn't want.

-

But on the other hand, maybe that's _exactly_ what the bastard wanted. Maybe the great Sasuke Uchiha _wanted _to get caught. Maybe he wanted to spit in the face of those who had praised him. Maybe he wanted to prove that he too was a human being and contained many undesirable traits. Admittedly, it wasn't exactly reasonable but it held a twisted ring of truth to it. To an extent, Naruto would say he understood the same feelings; it seemed like a twisted version of a big prank or joke. He imagined the uptight prick laughing obnoxiously and pointing at the aghast faces of his admiring public when this 'prank' was finally revealed.

-

_Surprise! Look everyone! I'm not as perfect as you thought I was!_

-

_I fooled you all._

_-_

It seemed incredible at first but the blond had become more observant of the paler boy, mostly to try (and fail) at avoiding the kisses. Because of which, he had figured out more than he ever wanted to know about the Uchiha and had the ability to take an educated guess at the bastard's way of thinking. True, most of the stuff was useless information such as how Sasuke would go to the bathroom everyday between fourth and fifth block or how he never ate anything sweet with his lunch. However, there were other more useful things he had witnessed too.

-

For example, while constantly surrounded by joking and grinning peers, he always remained rather aloof and distracted. Blank walls held his focus more than the people who were chattering beside him, hoping to get some type of acknowledgement which they would never receive. He didn't seem lonely, just uninterested in those around him. Previously, Naruto always thought this was because he was being a stuck up ass but now that title seemed too shallow to describe what Sasuke was doing. There seemed to be a reason for everything he did; a direction that only the popular Uchiha knew. Naruto didn't know what or where, but as a rival he didn't particularly care. Whatever Sasuke did in his spare time was no business of his.

-

Other times include those shared in his history class when the Uchiha was often the first to finish his assignments. While the majority of the others still struggled finding the correct answers and Naruto was busying himself with making an origami empire state building, Sasuke would look blankly at the empty top of his desk, looking very uncomfortable. Sometimes he'd open up a book or finish some other project for another class, but during the rare times when the Uchiha was completely done and had nothing else to do, he seemed tense, even a bit panicked. There would be strained movements of the hands and arms, a wandering disapproving head to his slower classmates, and many many intense glares at the clock or teacher. It was like he needed a goal to preoccupy himself.

-

Once or twice, Sasuke's vision will settle on Naruto and his poor attempts at making a miniature skyscraper. If that happened, the blond would immediately feel it and lift his head to look back at the dull questioning stare. A few seconds will pass before the tanned boy usually flicked his rival off and silently mouthed out a few insults across the room. In retort, the other will remain silent but there will be a smug and meaningful look at the blank worksheets beneath the tanned boy's arms. In order to avoid another fight in Ibiki's classroom, Naruto would usually give one last glare, stick his tongue out, and try to turn his focus back on his paper bits. After a few minutes, Sasuke would turn away also.

-

If Naruto cared enough to glance back at him, he would usually find him staring out the window, as still and patient as a statue; all the balled up tension from before totally evaporated.

-

Because of these little observations, the blond found it harder to hate the pale boy as venomously as he did before. It would feel as right as a scientist hating a rat who didn't complete a maze properly. In a way, Naruto had become someone who had become completely engulfed into figuring out how the Uchiha worked. Seeing their status as blood rivals, the prospect of pulling apart the very bare core of the other was indescribable fascinating to him. Though he still horribly hated the teen, no doubt, it wasn't in the same degree of intensity but only very _very _slightly.

-

Even with all of this, it didn't make fulfilling the bargain any easier and he had the scars to prove it from the times he had been shoved hurriedly into sharp _sharp_ bushes. He didn't want to act like a dainty little girl but couldn't a proclaimed genius find softer spots with more leaves or even a soft pad of dirt? Naruto wouldn't put it past the bastard to purposely plan all of it beforehand, just to irate the boy even further. The Uchiha had probably even planted some of the sharper twigs beforehand just to make sure he would make Naruto's day hell. It certainly won't be out of character. Devious always-planning-ahead asshole.

-

On a slightly brighter note, Naruto now knew the layout of the entire school better than he ever thought possible. There were exactly four Janitor's closet, two small rooms for the school's computer servers, a private teacher's only bathroom, and a small outside shed that he never knew existed. Added to this were the non-official times when teachers would leave their classrooms for off-periods and bathroom breaks, which Sasuke had easily memorized as he did his own class schedule. The shorter male couldn't help but be impressed by how easily the prodigy dodged everyone with someone as admittedly clumsy and loud as him trailing behind.

-

The deal was a real bitch to carry out, no matter how good they are at hiding. It wasn't so much the kiss itself, but that self-satisfied smug look afterwards made Naruto's blood broil. It was inevitable, really, but seeing that look on his rival's face always brought his mood down considerably for the rest of the day. And today, of all days, Sasuke wanted to be_ early_. Damn it, he had a total of three...**three** tests! Once again, he fantasized about breaking the deal and knocking out the Uchiha in a magnificent frenzy of well-aimed powerful punches at that perfect unmarred face. But despite what he had said about refusing to wear such a 'piece of gaudy trash', the junior class president had decided to do the contrary and the delicate silver chain now hung loosely around his pale neck, ending just below the neckline of his shirt. For Naruto, it acted as a reminder to put away the fantasies.

-

His lips dragged out a sigh that broke him out of his thoughts. Naruto focused back at the Uchiha, who looked at him expectantly only centimeters apart, still possessively clinging to his shoulders and still trapping the blue-eyed blond along the jagged concrete wall. They had both grown silent, breathes mingling, each hesitant on how to carry the act out. It was the first time Sasuke had dared himself to be this risky. If they didn't do it soon, other students who walked this way to school would see or hear them and any excuse would seem questionable at best. Asking for a reschedule was out of the question, of course, since the junior class president was much too prideful.

-

It was now or never.

-

As if on cue, Naruto closed his eyes tightly and loosened his jaw in order to part his mouth. Near the beginning, the paler boy had slyly noted that part of the deal had been to offer 'no resistance' and, apparently, keeping your mouth as impenetrable as possible was considered resistance. Having no place to argue, the blonde had decided to settle on acting like an immobile corpse during the time instead. Technically he wasn't resisting but it would be a freezing day in hell before he would kiss the taller teen back. If Sasuke wanted to waste his time on someone who responds like a dead fish, the jerk was welcomed to it.

-

Cool lips were on his shortly afterwards. He could feel the thin fingers loosen its grip and his shoulders relaxed because of it. At first, their lips were gently massaging against one another until the Uchiha's sharp front teeth started to poke through and began to nibble on Naruto's lower lip. The blond noticeably stiffened; he hated how his rival kissed. It was never just a simple peck on the lips; it always felt so intimate and passionate. Both things he was not used to, at all.

-

Stubbornly, the blonde remained limp and unresponsive but the Uchiha didn't seem to notice. Out of the corner of his half-lidded eye, the class president was able to see the concentration of deep angry lines above the tanned brow line and, though the eyes were shut, Sasuke could freely imagine how vivid the blue in his eyes. Through time, the hot-tempered boy had learned to tone done his initial rage considerably but was still far from being submissive. He wasn't too worried though; the prodigy considered himself a rather patient guy.

-

Sasuke, in a momentary lapse of concentration, bit down harder than had meant to be, causing the blonde to let out a small choke of surprise which became caught in the midst of their kiss. A velvety tongue smoothly glided itself over the place of the bite in a half-hearted apology before plunging itself deeper into Naruto's mouth. He gradually continued to plunder the other's mouth, urging the blond to react in other ways. It took a lot for Naruto not to snap his jaw shut and clip the tip of that tongue with his sharp canines.

-

Though the image of a frantic tongue less Uchiha was rather amusing, he opted for another action. He had attempted this before, many many times, but maybe Sasuke wouldn't be as alert this time. After all, it was early morning and he knew the other was far from being a morning person. If this were to succeed, he might be able to savage the rest of his junior year with some amount of masculine pride. With the grip on his shoulders loosened, his arm was able to raise itself minutely and carefully positioned his hands on the back of the pale neck. Praying that the taller boy wouldn't notice, his tanned fingers softly padded the skin for the clasp.

-

Sasuke did notice.

-

**BAM!**

-

And judging by the increasing pain on his stomach, he noticed _a lot._

-

Azure eyes immediately split open and the hands around the Uchiha's neck quickly retracted back to his side. Sasuke now stood a foot away from him, looking infuriated as ever at his attempt to sneak the necklace back. Dark eyes glared down at Naruto as if he was a guilty child with one hand in the cookie jar. With a scowl and a spit, the blond avoided the accusing glare and gingerly touched his abdomen, feeling the developing bruise underneath his shirt. Somewhere in his gut, Naruto knew it had been a bad idea to try a fool a genius but everything was worth a shot or two...or twenty-seven. Besides, he was never the one to give up easily.

-

"Bastard," he muttered darkly, flinching as the pain splintered out when his hand nursed the injury, "You didn't have to hit so hard."

-

In return, Sasuke scoffed arrogantly. "You should've known better ungrateful moron."

**- **

Naruto's head snapped up. "Ungrateful...?" he started, voice rising in tone, "Ungrateful!_ I'm _ungrateful?" Given, he did just try to break an already agreed upon deal and he did feel a pang of guilt for it but it didn't give the bastard the right to call him ungrateful. If anything, his dark-haired rival should be called ungrateful for being such an egotistical narcissistic jackass. His hands were immediately in front of him, balled into tight shaking fists.

-

"How the hell do you get away with calling _me_ ungrateful-!"

**-**

"And a moron," the other interrupted cheekily.

**-**

"Arrgh!" screamed the boy, jabbing a finger at the other, "I'm gonna kill you!" Blindly, he ran forward, arm back and fist positioned to return the punch in the stomach from earlier. His blue eyes saw the arrogant smirk widen a bit and a familiar predatory glint in the dark eyes before his fist collided with...air. While Naruto was stronger than the leaner Uchiha, he couldn't compare to the other's speed and agility. The whiskered teen was sure he had the ability to knock out in one punch if he could only land one properly. He had done it before to other opponents but admittedly, they were small fry compared to Sasuke.

-

"Damn it. Bastard. Stop. Dodging!" Naruto cried out each time his hand brushed past its intended target. This wasn't going well; he was wasting a lot of invested energy and power not hitting the other. A fist, originally aimed at the genius' head, brushed past the stiff collar of the button down shirt and was promptly grabbed out of the air by a pale hand. The other pale hand swiftly blocked and enclosed the other fist, effectively stopping the onslaught of punches.

-

"It isn't my fault you can't land a punch," Sasuke said with an air of superiority," Or choose the fights you can't wi-oomph!" A harsh knee kick had landed smartly on his stomach. He had allowed himself to get too distracted. Dark eyes narrowed at the grinning boy until they were thin slits. Naruto laughed proudly.

-

"Ha! Who's the-!" Before he could finish relishing in his moment of glory, a solid punch was sent across his face. His body went rigid at the shock but quickly regained its composure when he was faced with the heated glare of his rival. Both teens lunged at one another, fists colliding and kicks freely given in places without discrimination. They were very aware of each other's limitations after years of encounters; their stamina had extended far beyond of normal people. This gave them a sense of delicious freedom, absent of any remorse holding them back. Punches gave into kicking. Kicking gave into pushing. Pushing eventually ended them on the dirt yard of the abandoned lot and into the sidewalk into the street. All the while, cursing and sneering tactlessly at each other.

-

A sleek white car came down the road and halted at the two boys fighting in the middle of the road. A familiar older woman stepped out, eyes twitching in irritation at the sight that laid before her. The too male teens, if they hadn't been too distracted, would've normally treated the change of atmosphere with caution. Instead, they continued their brawl, ignorant of the homicidal principal approaching them.

-

"For God's sake!" Tsunade yelled; face red with anger as she separated both boys with an iron grip on their upper arms. "You two are going to be in after school and weekend detentions until the fuckin' sun burns out!"

**-**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-

"B-but I have work this weekend-!"

**-**

"Shut it, brat. You shouldn't have a fight in the middle of the street."

-

"But Sakura will **kill** me if I'm late again!"

-

"If you don't be quiet, **I'll** have that pleasure."

-

To the side of the room, hugging the shadows of a tall miniature tree, Sasuke rolled his eyes while pressing his injuries from one bruise to the next. He didn't get anything serious and the scars had stopped bleeding minutes after the nurse had wrapped him up in the medical linen. Naruto, on the other hand, was moving so erratically while arguing with the Kohona High principal that his bandages were unraveling on their own. Truthfully, the Uchiha didn't like the idea of extra detentions either (he had other more important things to do) but at least he had some self-control, unlike Uzumaki.

-

"Ms. Godaime," he interrupted politely, earning a pointed look from both, "Technically the fight happened outside of the school grounds, which is beyond your jurisdiction. So, technically, you do not have the authority to punish us." Naruto's eyes widened hopefully and waited for Tsunade to answer. Instead, the busty woman held a self-assured smirk comparable to Sasuke's. She had expected the school genius to object and had been well prepared for it.

-

"Nice try, Mr. Uchiha," she answered easily, waving a dismissive hand in his direction, "But you two were indeed within the boundaries of the school. That abandoned property is currently undergoing renovations to be the new practice field for the sport teams. So, technically, the fight did happen within school grounds and, technically, within my jurisdiction and power to punish."

-

Sasuke gave a scowl and continued to brood while a crestfallen Naruto returned babbling about the unfair justice system of the public educational system. Tsunade rolled her eyes and shoved a hall pass in front of the loud teen. Grumbling at his vain efforts to get out of detention, Naruto gave one last 'its-all-your-fault-bastard' look at Sasuke before heading out the door in a huff. Custom with the routine, the paler boy stepped forward, hand outreached for the same hall pass.

-

However, Tsunade still held on to the slip of paper and gave a meaningful eye at the Uchiha. She eyed him carefully, as if aiming to read her star student's mind. Sasuke, face completely blank, tugged at the pass to break the principal's intense stare. It seemed to have work, for now the older woman shook her head loosely and retreated to give a less aggressive look.

-

"Mr. Sasuke Uchiha," she said, exhaling the name, "What is going on between you and Naruto Uzumaki?"

-

The class president immediately stiffened, lowering his arm to the side and careful to keep the expression on his face completely blank. Did she suspect? After all, he had noticed her friendly interest in his rival and it wouldn't be too farfetched to see the damn loud-mouth blow their cover. However, if she did know everything, why would she ask him the question? He would have to choose his words carefully.

**-**

"Me and Uzumaki have always had an _unfriendly_ relationship, Ms. Godaime," Sasuke started mechanically, meticulously sure that his tone did not change.

**-**

"Cut the crap, Uchiha," the principal impatiently snapped back, "You and Naruto have had more fights in the past few months than last year altogether. They have become so intense and so frequent that the nurse has filed a request for a raise. Not to mention the way you two have acted...differently altogether." There was a deliberate sigh. "I want to know why." Her glare had become more powerful, determined in getting her answers. Miraculously, the paler teen did not flinch under her infamous hardened gaze.

**-**

"I did not realize you were so interested in your student's personal lives," he stated, voice mildly laced in annoyance.

-

"I'm very interested if it disrupts my school," she answered back," And having fights almost every other day is very disrupting. I suggest you don't test my patience, Mr. Uchiha. It has already been thinned enough."

-

Sasuke broke out of his blank face to give a scowl. Secretly, he had somewhat admired the administrator for having a backbone and running the school so cleanly but it was bothersome being on the other side of her penetrating glare. Before, he had attempted to use his name's influence over the board members to fire her but she had proven too popular. Apparently, the busty blonde had been a known medical expert throughout the country but chose to live the life of ease as a mere high school principal. Her resume had been packed to the brim with glowing recommendations from the most elite schools and so been hired on the spot. Only something really drastic, such as expelling the last Uchiha, would push her off that cushioned swivel chair.

-

Fortunately, as intelligent as the woman was, she wasn't a mind reader and seemed ignorant to about the deal between him and Uzuamki. He let out a small breath of relief at this and gave a disarming smirk. "Truthfully? I do not know myself," he lied, "It might be because of all the stress teenagers get these days. Hormones, girls, schoolwork, etc. We are boys, after all, and boys will be boys." He gave a nonchalant shrug.

-

Tsunade frowned. She had wished to hear something enlightening for she was really worried about Naruto. Ever since she had suggested Sasuke's assistance in helping his friends, the tanned boy had been acting more erratically than ever before. He was often jumpy and nervous; like a hunted fox waiting for the sound of a gunshot. And the fighting, which she was often called to ease, was becoming out of control. Many times she had attempted to get Naruto to talk about what actually conspired between him and his rival but the boy simply laughed it off and excused himself to class or the gym or wherever he could get away from her piercing questions.

-

She supposed it would've been satisfactory enough for Naruto to have his friends back. Jittery-ness aside, the boy seemed genuinely happy but she couldn't shake away the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. Naturally, a big favor undoubtedly meant a big payment in return. What could it have been? Sasuke wasn't going to tell her anything, she was sure of that much, but she was surprised that Naruto had kept his mouth lidded also. Tsunade looked over the Uchiha heir carefully, her eyes traveling from the smug glint in his eyes and down to the devilish curl of the lips. What could-?

-

Wait a minute!

-

"Where did you get that necklace, Uchiha?" she asked immediately, eyes flaring. She couldn't see anything clearly but there was a faint familiar outline just beneath the collar of his shirt. Tsunade had to suppress a growl at the student. That necklace...was that it? The payment? How dare he take what she personally gave to Naruto! Sasuke seemed unfazed at the sudden rage emitting from his principal and fingered the chain confidently.

-

"Oh this? A few months ago. It caught my eye and I couldn't pass up such a good _deal_ it came with," he shadily replied. He caught the change in Tsunade's expression and pressed on further, wondering how far he could push the woman. "The original owner seemed to be in a dilemma and offered it to me personally. I couldn't refuse." Maybe she knew something but she obviously didn't know everything. And, judging by the way the conversation had been unfolding, the older blonde seemed a bit secretive herself.

**-**

'That spoiled punk,' Tsunade thought bitterly. No wonder Naruto had been avoiding her so insistently. Truthfully, she was disappointed in his decision to hand it over to the Uchiha kid but she couldn't blame him. The boy was faced with a hard decision and made the best choice out of those available. However, she was powerless to get the necklace back since it would unveil her own guilty participation in the act. Until she found a way to confiscate the necklace, by the books, and sneak it back to Naruto from the Uchiha, Tsunade would have to wait it out. Sasuke used the necklace to tease the shorter junior into fighting (thus the violent increase in... violence) so he would take care of the item until then.

-

Now, there wasn't anything she could do. And Sasuke knew it, judging by how self-assured he was acting.

-

Hesitantly, they exchanged one last set of glare and she finally handed over the hall pass.

**-**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**-**

Weekend detention. AKA, five hours of staring at an empty chalkboard in an empty classroom in an empty school.

**-**

It was the black plague of Naruto's life. Ever since the deal was made, he and Sasuke haven't enjoyed an entire Saturday afternoon because of their constant 'misbehaving'. His friends, the ungrateful pricks, only laughed and vex him about all the girl action they had seen with his absence. Though he highly doubted Kiba's account of a stripper parade at a hidden nude beach was true, he still wished he was outside rather than stuck in a classroom with only his English teacher, Jariaya, as company. Even the Uchiha would've been a welcomed but Tsunade had learned long ago to not keep the two in the same room for too long. They had separate detentions in undisclosed rooms each time.

-

Today was a really nice day too; the type with clear blue skies, a smiling sun, and singing birds. Bright and with a light sense of energy filling the air, it defined days the hyperactive boy lived for. For the hundredth time, Naruto stretched out over his desk like a cat and tucked his head back into his crossed arms.

-

"Gah! It's so boring!" he sighed, reaching behind the back of his hand and scratching off an itch, "Why can't I just go? It's not like I have anything to do!"

-

"Shut it brat," muttered a long spiky mane of grey hair behind an unfolded newspaper, "It's your fault for picking fights with that Uchiha kid."

**-**

Naruto huffed and straightened himself in the metal seat. "He's the one who picks fight on me, old pervert."

-

Jariaya looked up from his newspaper and regarded the sullen boy wearily. "Hey, don't take it out on me if you don't know how to choose your battles. If you knew how to throw a decent punch once in a while, both of us would be doing better things."

-

"What! I can so throw a punch! Sasuke just cheats and dodges a lot!" the blond yelled, crossing his arms, "Besides, what could an old pervert like you be doing anyway? Not like you have a date or something- ouch!" A flying pen landed soundly on his head. Naruto lifted his hand to the spot and shot his English teacher a dirty look.

-

"I _did_ have something planned," the teacher replied irritably, going back to his newspaper, "There is a television special on a _certain_ movie of a _certain_ adult series and I'm going to miss it because I have to baby-sit a sixteen-year-old baby." Naruto ignored the insult. Muttering curses under his breath, the blue-eyed blond was going to try and nap again but an idea suddenly popped into his head.

**-**

"Ya'know, the student council room has a television..." the whiskered boy said slowly, "And I bet it has a lot of different channels..."

-

The bait was immediately hungrily snatched. There was a rustle of a newspaper being quickly folded on the large wooden desk and the whiskered teen had a hard time hiding his grin. "What room number is it?"

-

Naruto gave an innocent shrug of the shoulders and spread himself over his seat. "I'm not too sure exactly...I mean, this room is making me so claustrophobic with all of these...empty chairs around." Jariaya rolled his eyes. "I think my brain might remember better if I can get some _fresh_ _air_..."

**-**

The English teacher looked thoughtful, closing his eyes and rubbing his chin. "So, you need some _fresh air_ right?" Naruto nodded eagerly, his blue eyes already shining at the prospect of freedom. "Fine, tell me the room number first and I promise to give you that _fresh air_." At the teen blond's skeptical look, Jariaya pointed two fingers up and held a solemn face. "Scout's honor, boy."

**-**

After one last scrutinizing look, the student finally gave in. It wasn't as if he had a choice, any who. "Okay, the student council room is number 248. In the science hall, third door to the right. Now can I go, pervert?" His English teacher, satisfied with the answer, gathered his things and started to head for the door. Naruto, following his example, stood up and trailed behind. He waited patiently for the older man to turn off the room's thermostat before leaving the door when he was abruptly pushed back into the room. Before he knew it, his teacher was on the other side of the door, outside the room, laughing openly through the small window.

**-**

"What the hell?" Naruto yelled, banging his fist at the door and turning the locked doorknob, "I thought we had a deal! Scout's honor you old wrinkled prune!" In anger, he kicked at the window where he could still see his teacher's amused face.

**-**

"We did," the other replied through breathless chuckled, "I said I'll give you fresh air. Well, I just turned on the air conditioner brat so I did keep my end of the bargain!"

**-**

"What! I meant I wanted to go outside stupid! Not the damn air conditioner!"

-

Two fingers formed into a v-shape replaced the face formerly at the window. "Should've paid more attention in class, brat. Then you would've known how to use words more carefully. I'll come back and let you go once the show is over." Naruto flattened his face against the glass just in time to see a happy Jariaya pocketing the keys as he walked his way to the science hall. Unbelievable, he was locked inside the classroom. Is every teacher in this school out of their mind? He gave the door one last kick before settling himself on one of the desks in the front row and banging his head repeatedly on the glossy top.

**-**

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stu-"

**-**

"No need to repeat it, moron," came a smooth voice, "Everyone already knows you are."

**-**

Naruto let out a long moan as he lifted his head up and came face to face with a smirking Uchiha. He narrowed his eyes immediately and stuck out his tongue. "Shut up, bastard. What the hell are you doing here, anyway? You're supposed to be detention too." The golden haired teen quickly became aware of the opened door behind the other and his expression turned to shock. "H-how did you-?"

**-**

A pale hand pulled out a large set of keys held together by a thick copper ring. "I'm in student council and we take turns taking care of the council's set of keys, dumbass. The teacher I'm with lets me walk around whenever I want because I usually have some after school things I need to finish." Onyx eyes looked at the fresh shoe marks on the door. "And your loud kicking brought me here." His smirk grew wider at Naruto's stunned look. "So, even Jariaya couldn't stand being with you for so long, right?"

**-**

Naruto immediately stood up and took a defensive stance. "Shut up, asshole! The old pervert locked me in here to watch some TV show in another room!" He made a move towards the opened door. Like hell he was going to stay and wait for the perverted English teacher or willingly stay in the same room as Sasuke. However, just as he was about to pass the smug council member, the door was swiftly shut and locked.

**-**

"What the hell, Uchiha!" he yelled, turning to glare straightly at the bastard, who had by now tucked his keys securely in his front pants pocket.

-

"As someone who has vowed to uphold the rules of this school, I can't very well allow you to simply walk away from a punishment."

**-**

"Wh-what! That's total crap and you know it! You just want me to stay here and suffer asshole!"

**-**

"Hn, and what of it?"

**-**

"Gah! I hate you, bastard! I wish you'll suffocate in you're own pile of shit!" Naruto cried, jabbing an angry finger at the smirking Uchiha, "Then I'll be pointing and laughing as you try to climb out but because you're so pretty, you'll probably be too busy complaining and whining about how dirty you are and then wild starving animals will come and try to eat you but because you're so stinky the animals will go like 'eww' and-"

-

"Get on with it, moron," Sasuke interrupted, bringing his fingers up to massage the side of his head, "You're talking too much, again."

-

Naruto growled in retort and took a few steps away from the paler youth to lean himself comfortably on Jariaya's desk. What in the world was Uchiha's problem? It wasn't as if the blond woke up one day and thought it would be fun to have a violent rivalry with the other. Even though his memory was a blur, he was sure it wasn't as if they made a concious decision to beat each other up the first time they met. People often fought each other after knowing them gradually and then realizing traits that didn't bode well when the two are together. And even though he and Uchiha were often in conflict with one another, it didn't explain the surge of hatred twisting between them.

-

In the past, he had often lost sleep over this and its just become more frequent with the 'deal'. Naruto wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was partially proud of his ability to gain a rise of the Uchiha when no one else seems to be able. But he also had to admit that the same pleasure might belong to Sasuke as well towards him. Even knowing this, the blond couldn't say he minded. He was an easily exciteable person; Kiba, Chouji, and Shika did it to him all the time and they all managed to get along well. However, the young Uchiha was different; there was more energy invested in their verbal and physical arguments. But all the bruisings on their skins and egos couldn't shake a tiny haunting whisper Naruto often heard.

-

"Why are we still fighting?" he breathed, voice barely audible. "Why do we still hate each other so much?"

-

Naruto expected Sasuke to look at him strangely or ask (in his usual know-it-all tone) to clarify what he said more clearly. However, what he didn't expect was hearing the steady breathing of the other skip a few seconds before settling back down to its original pace. "People hate because we're too different," the Uchiha said bluntly, lifting his eyes to stare at the side of the wall. The air became unbearably still around them; Naruto could almost feel the emptyness in the sentence and avoided looking at the other because of it.

-

_No, that wasn't it._

_-_

The mixture of hate and disgust between them was in too great a volume to be explained away so easily. It couldn't possibly be something that simple.

-

_Other people hate because they're too different._

-

"But...we're not like other people, are we Sasuke?" he whispered. Naruto finally looked up and saw dark eyes looking back.

**-**

_You must've realized it too, don't you?_

**-**

"What exactly are you getting at, Uzumaki?" Sasuke said softly, daring the other to finish his thoughts. The atmosphere suddenly grew murderous.

-

There was a brief moment of hesitation. It might've been a bad idea to bring up the subject altogether since they've been doing fine without it; after all, fights were not meant to be speculated and scrutinized so vividly. Often it raises uncomfortable questions about both participants which would be better being left uncovered. However, the blond simply wouldn't..._couldn't_ let the subject go. He had been carrying this thought around for a long time and could no longer dismiss it so easily now that its out in the open. Now, alone and guaranteed freedom from any interruptions, was as good of a time as any to say something. His throat grew grievously parched and dry as he spoke.

-

"We're not like other people, Sasuke. We hate each other because we're the same."

**-**

_And we can't stand each other because of it._

**-**

Something seemed to have cracked as the words awkwardly tumbled out of his lips. Before he knew it, two hands came to his chest and vehemently pushed him towards the blackboard. He bended his arms backwards to stop himself from colliding with the chalky surface and immediately glared at the one who pushed him. With surprising speed, Sasuke was already hovering over the shorter boy with two outstretched arms to the side of the blond's head.

-

"Know this, dead-last," the other hissed, a deadly rage glimmering in his dark eyes. "You can't even compare to someone like me. Don't even try that type of bullshit."

-

"Asshole!" Naruto remarked back, face wrinkling at the condescending tone, "Is it that hard to accept? Maybe we are the same! Maybe that's why we're always fighting! Have you ever thought about that, dumb bastard!" He made an attempt to get away but a harsh push on the shoulders kept him back. There was a soft 'thunk' as the back of his head collided with the blackboard behind him.

-

"I'm not anything like you," came a low snarl. The young Uchiha finally took a step back and regarded Naruto with a fierce glare. He smirked wildly when he found the glare returned with equal passion. With full grace, he stepped back towards the shorter boy, a wild grin of malice on unblemished features. Naruto, never one for the defensive, stood rooted where he stood with Sasuke boring down on him inches away. His heart thumped savagely in his chest. His breathing shortened drastically.

-

Everything had happened so fast; it was dizzying. Almost terrifying.

-

"Why than, Sasuke?" Naruto muttered lowly, increasingly frenzied, "Am I just that annoying? Loud? Stupid?" He bit down on his lower lip and narrowed his flaring azure eyes while his rival looked down at him evenly. "Why than! Why! Why the hell do you hate me so much!" When it was finished, a deadly silence flooded the room, thickening the air and chilling the room like a mist. The blond waited patiently for a reply, a reaction, anything so as to prove that he was being heard. Finally, the Uchiha prodigy spoke.

-

"Because you're..."

-

It came in a raspy fragile voice the tanned boy didn't' know the other was capable of. Before he could question it further, Naruto realized both of their bodies were being closed in. His eyes widened incredulously up towards the taller paler boy. What the hell did Sasuke think he was doing? Weren't they screaming at each other mere moments ago? Looking at the sullen look on the pale face, Naruto was surprised to find the lack of any rage that had been so prevalent earlier. His mouth grew dryer and dryer as Sasuke leaned nearer, making it hard to voice any protest.

-

"Because you're..." the voice faltered again before the distance between them completely closed. As a reflex, the blond immediately closed his eyes and stiffened his body. Two lips delicately touched the middle of his forehead, just above the bridge of his nose. Soon afterwards, the taller boy pulled away leaving a lingering warmth on the honey skin. Cautiously, Naruto opened his eyes and waited for something more dramatic, thinking the kiss on the forehead had been some sort of tease. Instead, he found a set of dark turbulent eyes staring unblinkingly into his own. There was no smirk this time, not even a slight curve at the edges; the mouth was thinned into a tight line. The Uchiha was so close that the whiskered boy felt claustrophobic. He wanted to push the other way but his hands felt too numb and heavy to do anything.

-

"S-Sasuke?"

-

Naruto's shaky voice seemed to have snapped the dark-haired boy out of his daze. He straightened up, hands shoved in his pockets as he regained his formal composure. Those stormy eyes still remained and Naruto distracted himself from looking at them by facing the window. No words were exchanged as the paler teen turned and promptly left the room, leaving the blond contemplative of what had just unfolded between them. The forgotten door was left ajar but the blond's mind was too distracted to care anymore.

-

_That kiss..._

-

It was completely unlike the other times when Sasuke had kissed him. They were usually rough, angry, and thoughtless. Forceful and dominating. Cold and without heart.

-

Those were the kisses of a rival.

-

But this one felt _different_. Completely and thoroughly unlike the kisses he expected and previously received. He had been kissed enough by the bastard to realize the difference when the two compared. He didn't mean the fact that it was on his forehead or how fleeting it was. The kiss was soft and light, like a feather had just been dragged across his skin. It sent tiny shivers down his spine when he touched the lingering warmth and, most importantly, didn't make him want to swallow a gallon of mouthwash.

-

It felt nice. Gentle and kind. The exact opposite of what he had experienced so far from the stoic teen.

-

Could something like that possibly come from someone like Sasuke? Bastard-prissy-arrogant-Sasuke Uchiha? For that brief moment, it didn't; it felt like a completely different person.

-

It had felt like someone who cared.

-

-

-to be continued-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**Author's Note: **

This chapter was amonsterto write. Revised like _whoa _so it took an incredibly long time to write. It was originally supposed to be much shorter, acting as a sort of catch up but it eventually grew and grew and, before I knew it, this _thing_ happened. D; Is it just me or are the chapters getting longer and longer? I hope you guys don't mind me clipping the word count down on the later ones. I'm not used to writing such a long story.

And the reviews! Oh, the reviews which I imagined a chibi form of me swimming in when I opened my inbox. I absolutely adore 'em and can't thank you guys enough for taking your time to write them. -hugs- Some of them were so flattering too! There were even a few of you who aren't even into AU-highschool or fans of the pairing who liked the story! Wow! -hughughug- Again, thank you, especially to those who took their time writing the longer reviews! I really appreciate them!

Sorry, I can't offer a snipit of the next chapter like I hoped but it will be an eventful one. Kakashi and Sakura will be added, you'll see a little of what Sasuke and Naruto are like outside of the school setting, and the plot thickens up a bit more. Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba, unfortunately, aren't going to appear much until near the end when they start to take a more active role. -thumbs up-

Remember to leave a bit of comment and critique on your way out, please. I love **_love_** long reviews. 8'D


	4. Epiphany

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or any of his buddies. But, I should because they're neat. Uber neat. Totally.

**Chapter Summary**: Shikamaru plots. Sakura and Kakashi are here. Naruto doesn't leave.

**Warning: Un'betad. **

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

-

_Epiphany is an unveiling of reality. Epiphany interrupts the everday flow of time and enters as one priviledged moment when we intuitively grasp a deeper, more essential reality hidden in things or persons. _

_-Czeslaw Milosz, A Book of Luminous Things_

-

It had felt like someone who cared.

-

**Chapter Four: Epiphany **

**-**

"Ack! Shikamaru! Watch out!" a golden-haired teen whispered frantically. Shika, as his habit, did nothing but lift his right hand to stifle a yawn. Slightly irritated at his uncaring attitude, Naruto pushed to the other end of the lab table and checked the readings of the thermometer in the boiling contents of a beaker. There was a muttered curse before the tanned boy went to adjust the gas nozzle, turning down the flame from the Bunsen burner. Blue eyes through thick safety goggles shot an ugly look at his lab partner, whose eyelids were already heavy with sleep.

-

"You were supposed to be watching it so it wouldn't get overheated!" the shorter boy huffed. As if to drive the point further, a paper filled with carefully detailed instructions appeared in front of the spiky-haired brunette; an irate finger pointed at the correct temperature. "Come on, you lazy ass! I can't do all-"

-

In response, Shikamaru stared pointedly at a sheet of paper laying between them on the black tabletop. It was the lab sheet with charts and blanks already filled out with barely-legible cursive. Naruto let out a long sigh. "I know! I know! But we have to actually_ look _like we did the experiment or we'll fail!" At the mention, both casted dreary looks towards their chemistry teacher, who was busying herself with a different pair of students in front of the class.

-

To be fair, their instructor wasn't entirely bad but she was demanding; not only did her students have to learn the material, she expected full participation. Naruto, though eager to have any hands on experience with things that might explode, did not grasp the science easily. Whereas Shikamaru could absorb anything in the textbook and lectures while still half asleep (which he often was), he couldn't the motivation to even raise a hand. Since they were always paired, labs were the keystones to their grade. Usually, Shikamaru was in charge of filling out the sheets and Naruto did the actual experiment and cleanup. Even if the blond did mess up the experiment once in a while, the brunette could make close-enough predictions from observing others around them. Really, these labs were just a troublesome formality.

-

The lazy genius looked back at Naruto, now carefully scrutinizing the faded measurements of a smaller beaker. The brunette chuckled inwardly as he remembered the last time the blond had mismeasured and the classroom became unusable. They had to borrow the library for two weeks until the smell fully aired out. Out of the corner of his eye, the lazy teen could see the teacher as well as a few classmates stealing a worried glance at them. It wasn't necessary, he thought bemusedly. Naruto might not be the sharpest tack in the box but he hardly ever made the same mistake twice, especially after the chewing Tsunade had put them through last time.

-

_Tsunade. _

-

At the mental image of their principal, Shikamaru pulled his eyes away from his lab partner and looked out the nearest window. A rare concentrated crease on his forehead appeared just above the top brim of his goggles. That morning, the brunette had been pulled away from first period class (or nap more like) and called into her office. At first, he thought it to be another meeting to talk about more advanced courses in order to 'work at his fullest potential'. At the mention of 'work', Shikamaru made it clear he wasn't interested in the slightest. The proclaimed genius knew it was a bad idea to try at those 'fun tests' his parents made him take in elementary; they had plagued him ever since. Seriously, couldn't those people figure out via his horrible grades that he was perfectly content living with as little effort as possible?

-

Surprisingly, the matter Tsunade wanted to discuss wasn't about him.

-

Dark brown eyes quickly darted to his friend, now pouring the proper contents into the labeled tubes. Naruto, gifted with clumsy fingers, was shaking slightly and there were a couple of messy spills on their table. Shikamaru sighed and grabbed a few paper towels. Naruto stopped, beaker and tube lowered, and raised a questioning brow at him.

-

"Neh? What are you doing?"

-

Obviously, the blue-eyed teen wasn't used to seeing his friend clean. Or move on his own free will.

-

"Cleaning," was the simple reply as he threw the crumbled towel in the nearest trash can. He missed. Blue eyes continue to stare questionably but soon shrugged it off as a miracle and resumed back to the project at hand. Shika rolled his eyes back to the window, leaning on a bent arm for support. A review of the morning played in his head.

-

As soon as he stepped into the office, the genius immediately sensed something was amiss. First, there seemed to be a large amount of tension in Tsunade's shoulders as she straightened against her chair to meet his eyes. She had looked weary with her usual tightly bound hair slightly loose and with little makeup on her face. Even the designer suit, usually pressed neatly with pride, seemed dull and faded from lack of attention. And out of the numerous times he'd been to the room, it was the first time the thick lush curtains were down; the only light came from a floor lamp in the corner. The whole atmosphere reminded Shikamaru of the old gangster movies he borrowed from Chouji last month...which he never did bother to return.

-

This was something intense, he could tell even without looking into Tsunade's strict gaze: either something caught on fire, someone was in the hospital, or the government had come to wisk him. Though his insides felt like he swallowed a circus, his stoic face never gave away a flinch. When she finally spoke, time seemed to have stopped with the first sentence.

-

_"Naruto is in trouble." _

-

The rest of the meeting was much of a blur, thanks to the great range of emotions he felt throughout the meeting. All played a part in causing his mind to think irrationally at the time. Fortunately, after he stomped out of the office, the initial rage had time to dumb down during the next two periods. This was the first time the genius attempted to objectively dissect the information. Hopefully, he could formulate a solid plan before the next bell, provided if Naruto doesn't cause another class evacuation.

-

"Oh god Naruto! Don't boil beaker E! Boil F! Beaker F!" a shrill voice of the teacher interrupted.

-

...Right. He didn't have much time.

-

Even though Tsunade had filled him in with all she knew, there weren't many reliable facts to go on. Apparently, Naruto, being the heroic idiot he was, allowed himself to walk straight into Sasuke-the-spawn-of-Satan's despicable grip in order to keep them from being expelled. When Tsunade had first explained this to him, Shikamaru felt a deep sense of guilt and shame developing in his chest. At the time, Kiba, Chouji, and he had brushed off the leniency on Tsunade's close bond with their friend. It happened a few times before so they had no reason to question it. Knowing the truth, it was no wonder the blond had made them take a solemn vow to keep out of trouble during school.

-

_"Tsunade can't do this forever, guys."_

-

_"She's already pissed at me enough."_

-

_"Thanks, but I fight my own battles."_

-

Shikamaru scoffed into the palm of his hand. The last one was one he had heard before; Naruto always did have a stubborn sense of honor when it came to fighting. In fact, it was probably the only thing stopping him and the other two from murdering Sasuke outright. Years ago, when they first became what resembled a group of friends, they had offered to fight Sasuke alongside him. Without hesitation, the whiskered teen insisted on handling the Uchiha situation alone; there was no room for negotiations. It became unforgivable if they even laid a finger on the bastard.

-

Sasuke Uchiha was _Naruto's_ rival, nottheirs. That much was-

-

"Oi, Shikamaru! Look! Look at this! It's turning orange!" Grumbling at the loss of his train of thought, the taller teen turned his head to look at the excited blond, who was holding up a tube of what looked like liquid sunshine. Naruto was grinning from ear to ear, pride gleaming in azure eyes. "It smells kinda funny but-!"

-

"Blue."

-

"-I think it's supposed...wait. What did you say?"

-

A tired sigh. "It's supposed to be blue. Not orange," the brunette stated plainly at his crestfallen lab partner, "And you're not supposed to smell it. Some of this stuff can knock you out, dumbass." Double-checking, the younger teen quickly scanned over the instruction sheet only to find that his genius friend was indeed correct. A long string of mumbled curses followed.

-

"Don't worry," Shikamaru said easily, pointing at one of the beakers, "just add about 3ml of that and it's fixed."

-

"If you're so smart, why don't you do it?"

-

"I'm supervising." A large yawn followed.

-

Naruto rolled his eyes but went to do as instructed. After swirling the tube around, the liquid slowly changed to a dark shade of blue. The lazy teen heard a sigh of relief from the other followed by more shuffling to complete the next step on the sheet. Shikamaru estimated around ten minutes until the next time he would be interrupted. Now where was he? Oh right.

-

Sasuke was Naruto's problem. The popular class president was off limits.

-

However, the blond never did specify that they couldn't fight _other_ people.

-

For the past few years, Chouji, Kiba, and he found that loophole very useful. Though they couldn't touch the biggest threat, they sure as hell could beat the living shit out of everyone else who tried. Given if, of course, Naruto wasn't aware of it. All of them were common targets so the excuses were convincing enough. If the tanned boy knew that the majority of his friends' fights were because of him, it would terribly damage his ego and, quite possibly, his trust in them. Which is why they had kept it in secrecy.

-

But the secret would be out as soon as Kiba or Chouji know about this 'deal'. Even Shikamaru, with all the restraints of being a lazy genius, felt enough fire in his veins to call out the Uchiha and collapse the pale face in with his bare knuckles. Until now, they had allowed Naruto to deal with Sasuke alone, as requested, but this would definitely push the other two off the edge; it was already hard enough to just stand by and watch their friend get pummeled each week. No doubt the angry pair would try to confront the Uchiha, and then there would be an angry Uchiha, which would lead to a group of adoring angry classmates, which would bleed into the faculty, etc. etc. Already there was a lot of negativity and that was without figuring in Naruto's own anger.

-

If worse comes to worse, all that anger would manage to split them apart.

-

Yeah, so option A of having a direct confrontation was out of the question. Even if Shikamaru confronted the Uchiha by himself, he couldn't do anything without Naruto getting suspicious of it. Besides, Sasuke didn't seem to mind if a few others knew, if Tsunade's testimony was anything to go by. With so little in their arsenal, they couldn't be much of a threat to the infallible Uchiha confidence.

-

For now, the other two would remain in ignorant bliss; the less people who knew, the better. Luckily, Tsunade must've already figured out this one aspect out since she had kept extremely tight-lipped on the whole matter; she and him were the only ones who know aside from Naruto and Sasuke. Shikamaru didn't have to ask why the woman had chosen him out of the three; he was, after all, a proven genius and the most level-headed of them.

-

But the fact that she was driven to ask for help was another troubling fact. Even with all her intelligence and power, Tsunade couldn't figure a good way to help Naruto. Though disappointed, he wasn't surprised. The 'deal' itself was created outside the school's grasp; thus, it can only be unraveled outside the school's grasp. Everything had to be done in shadows and out of the official books. It just meant he needed to be more creative.

-

His mind swiveled around every piece of information Tsunade had given him. First, the teen prodigy needed to differentiate the important from the unimportant; he had to look past the obvious and find the hidden meaning behind every action. Everything had a purpose, a reason, an order. All he needed to do was find it, understand it, and break it.

-

_Think._ Tsunade had said the deal must've involved the necklace Naruto had cherished. His stomach clenched into itself at the thought. About a month ago, the Shikamaru had inquired about the missing jewelry but Naruto had dismissed it, saying the chain had broken off and it was safely tucked away in a drawer. Evidently, that turned out to be a lie. He won't be fooled again.

-

_Think._ Anyone would assume the deal was the necklace in exchange for the favor. It was a pretty clear answer, but a very weak one. Naruto and Sasuke's fights have been steadily escalating and continue to do so with each passing week. If there was an agreed trade, Naruto wouldn't be fighting as much as he did since there was no hope of getting the item back. Something else, other than Sasuke having the necklace, was causing the increasing frustration in the blue-eyed boy, thus causing the increase number of fights. It can't all be just taunts and jeers, as Tsunade suggested, because Naruto had been teased all his life. There's another part of the deal. Something more. Something deeper.

-

_Think. _What else, besides that necklace, would the Uchiha want? What could make Naruto feel increasingly violent? Naruto wasn't exactly rolling in riches; anything the tanned teen had the Uchiha could easily buy gold-plated. Sasuke was already a good student and didn't need anyone doing his schoolwork; oftentimes, Naruto didn't even do his own. Personal servant? No, because the blue-eyed teen didn't have the signs of being at all tired from doing chores or errands. And, as far as the school gossip went, there wasn't any form of public humiliation Naruto was forced to endure, at least by Sasuke's hands.

-

What the _hell_ could it be? His mind raced around and around, picking up and dropping ideas but nothing came close to being logical.

-

Undaunted, Shikamaru found himself peering back at his lab partner. The shorter male had the instruction sheet in front of him, livid blue eyes darting from one sentence to the next, making sure to read each extra carefully. Feeling the unblinking eyes on his shoulders, Naruto turned to face him. The older teen hadn't realized he was staring.

-

"What?" asked the other, padding random areas of his whiskered face self-consciously, "Something on my face?" Pretending to have dazed off, the brunette just shook his head and turned his face back to the window. He heard a mumbled 'weirdo' before being replaced with the clinking of glass. For a moment, Shikamaru wanted to ask pointedly what Naruto agreed to do for Sasuke. Only when an especially large white cloud passed by his vision that a revelation finally clicked.

-

It didn't matter. Whatever the deal forced Naruto to do, it'll likely be during school hours due to its convenience and privacy. He closed his eyes tighter, frowning in concentration as replays of the past few months played in his head. Besides the increase in fighting, Naruto had been acting differently in other ways. Always watching behind his back as if waiting for something. More alert eyes and a general jitteriness to his movements. The observant teen could also remember times when the blond would abruptly disappear, coming back easily irritable with lame excuses for his absence.

-

Shikamaru smirked, tasting the beginnings of a plan. Though he still wanted to know what exactly Naruto had to do, the prodigy had found a way to hinder Sasuke in the deal, at least temporarily. It was fairly simple. In order to stop Naruto from doing whatever the hell he had to do, all he had to do was keep a watchful eye on the blond during school. Privacy didn't exist with an unwelcomed guest. He'll have to stick to Naruto like glue for the next month or so, just enough time to come up with something more permanent (and less of a pain). Hopefully he'd have something before the Uchiha could take advantage of any holes.

-

The only real downfall to the plan was that it only solved one-half of the problem. He could stop Naruto from seeking out Sasuke but what would happen if Sasuke were to seek out Naruto? Though Shikamaru had little problem with being a hawk-eyed tag-along, he needed someone else to distract the Uchiha in order to be absolutely secure. What he needed was an ally who truly cared for Naruto's safety, wasn't a part of the Uchiha fan club, can act flawlessly without arousing questions, and had the power to keep the overachieving junior busy.

-

Great. Another variable in an already problematic equation. Honestly, the lazy teen didn't want another person to know but it was a necessary part in his plan. All he needed now was to decide on a person. Kiba and Chouji were out, indefinitely. Tsunade came close but Sasuke already seemed to have his suspicions of her. The first two qualities alone took away the majority of the student body. Most of the faculty had an intense dislike for Naruto and an intense like for Sasuke; the few who didn't were too busy with other students to keep any eye on any specific one.

-

Aside from those he already eliminated, Shikamaru had relatively few options that still met the criteria. In fact, he could only think of one person in the entire school and it was still a great risk. He sighed at the prospects.

-

"This is so troublesome."

-

"You're telling me," agreed Naruto, glaring at the beaker of water he had just placed on top of the Bunsen burner. His lab partner had taken the earlier advice to heart; the sound of his voice sounded like the blue-eyed teen had nasal congestion from blocking the sense of smell. "Come on, stupid water. Boil already." Dark brown eyes casually looked over to check if everything was properly set up. His nose caught a light whiff of the bubbling clear liquid in the beaker. Strange, the distilled water smelled almost like the ethanol they used to sanitize the tubes.

-

At the thought, the brunette immediately seized an identical beaker left on the tabletop and took a light sniff. Nothing. Realization started to sink in as a horrified look spread across his features.

-

Naruto mixed up the beakers.

-

He was boiling ethanol, not water.

-

Ethanol was extremely flammable.

-

..._oh **crap**_.

-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

-

Look left. Clear.

-

Now right. Check.

-

His pink haired manager was no where to be seen, probably out back raiding the new stock of romance novels that had arrived this morning. He had no idea why girls find those things so interesting but thank god for Sakura's inability to be alert when a new shipment of them arrived. Due to an incident in chemistry class, he had missed out on lunch and his stomach had been rumbling uncontrollably ever since. It was a horrible deep growl reaching volumes Naruto thought impossible for any human being. Poor, poor stomach. There, there. You'll be filled soon enough.

-

With the coast clear, Naruto carefully slid the small glass door away and inched his hands towards a succulent, mouthwatering, absolutely delectable fruit pastry. Of course, he planned on paying for the overpriced dessert; stealing was against his honor code. The one thing the blond was worried about was being caught snacking on the job. His obsessively clean manager had a peeve with the crumbs that usually fell on his red work vest. But if the whiskered teen ate it really_ really _quick, just stuff it in his mouth and gulp a few times, the blue-eyed boy could wipe out any evidence before she came back. Sure, there's a chance something might get caught in his throat and choke him to death, but that was a better alternative than the pains of starving the tanned teen was feeling now.

-

Success! In the palm of his hand was a golden little piece of baked good heaven. Truthfully, Naruto's taste were more to the savory, preferring thick sub sandwiches or a warm bowl of stew, but the cafe only served one-serving size desserts. One of these babies would be enough to hold him over until after work, when the tanned boy could pick up a burger for dinner. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, the whiskered teen saw the door to the backroom began to swing open. Crap! He opened his mouth. Quickly brought the pastry pass his gums-

-

**BAM.**

-

A book flew straight across the store, passing the rows of shelves of books, and smacked the young male on the side of his head. Naruto arched over sideways from the force, lost his balance, and fell twitching in agony on the floor. His beloved pastry landed to one side with a thick romance novel on the other. The sound of heels stomping on the floor stopped at just above his head. A delicate manicured hand reached to the romance novel, brushing off any dust caught on the cover.

-

"You know the rules, Naruto." An annoyed series of 'tsk's followed. "Honestly, can't you wait until _after_ work?" Naruto groaned loudly, sitting himself up on the floor and rubbing the spot of the impact.

-

"Isn't _harassment_ one of those rules, Sakura?" he huffed defensively, looking into light green eyes narrowed in his direction. "I missed lunch today and I _was_ going to pay for it." Blue eyes settled on the pastry beside his hand; it was still intact with a few minor flakes around the crust. Still edible in his book. Azure eyes immediately lighted up as his hands snatched it off the floor. There was a disgusted sound from his manager.

-

"You're going to eat it? But that's been on the floor!" she cried, pointing at the pastry as if it were a cockroach.

-

"Well, it wouldn't have been if you didn't throw that book at me," he said, shrugging nonchalantly. Besides, the linoleum floor was sparkling; Sakura made him clean it at the end of every day. "I'm really hungry, Sakura. I can't wait until after work," he continued with a hint of whine. The pink-haired teenager gave him a withering look in response. After a few seconds, she gave a long defeated sigh and snatched the pastry from his hand before it reached his mouth. Naruto stood up to protest when a fresh pastry was handed to him in a clean napkin.

-

"Fine. Here you go. My treat." The expression of pure happiness on the blond's face was immediate; making it hard for Sakura to stay angry at him. The giant grin on his face did make him seem younger, almost like a charming little kid. Initial irritation ebbing away, the pink-haired girl gave a small friendly smile. "I can't have an worker get sick on the job, right?" the girl said jokingly. The boy gave her a grateful hug, which she hesitantly returned.

-

"That's because I'm you're _only_ employee," Naruto said cheerily, finally pulling away and taking a large bit out of the dessert. It was true. The bookstore/cafe was located in a quiet section of town; so there weren't many customers. Still, the peace it offered attracted loyal regulars who pull in enough money to keep the place running. Because of the good marks at her private school and an impeccable work record, the pink haired teen was hired on the spot and granted the position of manager. The lack of activity meant she needed only one employee. That was him.

-

Honestly, the intelligent girl only hired him out of desperation; apparently, Naruto was the only applicant with no arrest record. Sakura had meant to fire him as soon as a better person came along; she had told him herself the job was only temporary. That was over a year ago. With his enthusiastic work ethic, Naruto had managed to convince her to let him stay, even though the clumsy boy often made mistakes. Overall, it was a good job with a nice pay that included the tips he receive from the cafe. Plus it was only six blocks away from his apartment complex, so the bike ride wasn't too tiring. All he had to do was jump off the bus, get his bike, put on the red work vest, and pedal to the shop. It took less than twenty minutes.

-

But the best part was being near Sakura. The girl seemed perfect in every aspect: intelligent, kind, giving, and extremely cute. At first sight, the boy had developed a huge crush on his employer. It took him nearly eight months to pick up enough courage to ask her out, which ended horribly. Though they had a good friendship, the girl simply didn't feel any romantic feelings towards him, comparing him more to a brother than a possible boyfriend. Stubbornly, he still persisted, asking at least once a month if she wanted to do anything, but she declined each time. Sorry, there was someone else she liked.

-

Naruto slumped at the memory. He suddenly didn't feel up to eating the rest of the sweet pastry. Besides, the tiny seeds from the strawberry filling kept getting in-between his teeth. He gently nudged Sakura, who was carefully inspecting a book beside him, and offered her the remainder. The green-eyed girl crinkled her nose and shook her head. Her eyes traveled back to the book in her hand; an excited smile lighting her face. Naruto stared. She really was prettiest when she was happy.

-

Sakura caught him staring and, misreading his thoughts, presented the summary at the back of the book to read. "Doesn't it sound fantastic?!!" she gushed. He resisted the urge to roll his blue eyes and read the fancy cursive, vaguely interested. Why did it have to have so many loops?

-

_Can one kiss mean the demise of the coldest bachelor in the city? _

-

Eck. Already he felt like throwing up. Even someone like Naruto, who avoided these things like the plague, knew the storyline was as unoriginal as emo poetry. Only the look of pure joy in green eyes kept the male teen reading.

-

_Finally, after years of hardship, Margaret finds security as a scullery maid at the mansion of Sir Edward, the most sought after lord in the country. Because of class differences, Margaret and Edward did not give romance a chance. But everything changes in an accidental kiss below a star strewn sky. Their sudden intense love- _

-

"Gah, that's horrible, Sakura." His hand lightly pushed the book away, as if it emitted poisonous radiation. His pink haired friend frowned, a slow anger developing in her eyes. Uh-oh, big mistake. Never make fun of a girl's romance novels, especially if you're trying to have a close relationship with said girl. It was even worse since one of the few bad qualities of the girl was her temper. Last time, Naruto had to alphabetize the entire children's section, from Abby the Angry Aardvark to Zzz, Bedtime Buddy.

-

"I just think its a little unrealistic!" he blurted, holding out both hands in front of him in a defensive gesture. But the girl seemed to have calmed down at the comment, looking confused, intrigued, and surprised all in one. When the time for being abused had passed and none came, Naruto peered over carefully. There was still some anger in the deep frown lines, but Sakura looked like she wanted to hear more of what Naruto had to say.

-

"I-I mean, its just kinda hard to believe, Sakura," he continues carefully, "O-one kiss wouldn't-couldn't do all that. It won't change something so dramatically. It doesn't work that way. "

-

The girl quirks a brow, crossing her arms tightly across her chest and thumping the novel on one side of her arm. "Well, Mr. Know-it-all, have you kissed anyone to back that up?" At the k-word, Naruto flushed a deep red, remembering his own experience, all of which belonged to a certain pale bastard. He inhaled deeply, trying to fight the blood from rising to his ears any further. "I-I-uhh...well..."

-

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt such an interesting discussion but I am in a hurry," a man called from the cafe counter in a chipper voice. Both teens turn to the man and stare at their customer. He looked young, maybe in his late twenties, but had a rich mane of thick silver hair; all of which seemed to have been ironed into sharp tufts to point at the sky. A pair of dark black eyes, one of which had a deep shadow of a scar across the eyelid, stared back with a hint of mirth. As for the rest of his facial features, it was hidden behind a tightly drawn scarf but didn't hinder his ability to talk coherently.

-

Seeing that he now had the two's full attention, the man made his order. "Your strongest cup and sweetest pastry, please." The request broke through and soon Sakura, the ever dutiful manager, apologized for the inconvenience of which the man easily dismissed. Still embarrassed, the pink haired girl excused herself in order to tend to the display cases at the front of the shop, leaving Naruto to handle the order. The pastry was immediately picked out of the glass and, along with some napkins, placed inside a white paper bag. The coffee, however, would take around five minutes to finish brewing. They always made it as fresh as possible to please the regulars. Naruto was fiddling with the paper cup, waiting for the sound of the machine to beep, when the man spoke up.

-

"So do you?"

-

"Do I what?" Naruto turns to face his customer, a confused look on his tanned face. The man's eyes curve in a smiling gesture.

-

"I hope you didn't mind me overhearing," the man starts apologetically, "You said you didn't believe a kiss would change something so drastically. Right?" Naruto blinks. Truthfully, he had felt uncomfortable with the topic and wanted nothing more than to forget it altogether. But the curious twinkle in those dark smiling eyes made it clear that the silver-haired man wouldn't let it go. He couldn't very well ignore the customer and face another encounter with Sakura's wrath. Reluctantly, the blond answers, tearing at the cup's brim with his crooked fingernails.

-

"Yeah, I guess," he mumbles, "I mean, how could it, ya'know? A kiss is just a kiss." The man nods silently, not in agreement but to let him know he was listening. He wants Naruto to continue. The blond shuffles across the floor and checks on the machine. Maybe a minute more. Two tops. He sighs and starts to talk again.

-

"Its just that, I think something else needs to be there...to make a kiss more than a kiss." As the words leave his lips, memories of the kisses with Sasuke replays in his head. All of them seem to blend together into one humiliating ordeal except one. The latest kiss barely a week ago. The softest and least aggressive of all. Against his will, his mind traces back to the feeling, the warmth, the gentleness. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows that he is at work, making coffee for a customer with wild hair and too many questions, but Naruto is barely registering that fact now.

-

Still, even if that something's there and a kiss happens, it might not be enough," he mutters, eyes glazed over, "To change someone, you need more." The man's eyes are no longer smiling; they spark with real interest. The top half of his body is leaned over the counter. "Both the people...they need-"

-

**Ping. **

-

The sound of the machine snaps him back to reality and Naruto twitches out of his daze. Remembering the cup in his hand, he grumbles when he sees most of the brim torn off by his own hand. The whiskered teen fetches another from the stack, pours the coffee, and snaps on the lid. With a grin, Naruto hands the bag with the pastry and the coffee cup to the man, who seems a tad disappointed but regained his normal cheery composure. He hands over the money. Before leaving, he gives the blond another friendly curve of the eyes. "You're an interesting kid." Then, checking the time of his wrist watch, leaves with a quick wave back.

-

Naruto lets out a tired breath and turns off the coffee machine. Immediately after, Sakura rushes over to the counter, flushed with excitement. "You'll never believed who I just saw!" she says. The tanned boy really didn't care to guess, having too many cluttered thoughts in his head from the earlier conversation, but he smiles playfully. The green-eyed girl takes this as a go-ahead sign and releases the name in a voice dripping with adoration. "Sasuke Uchiha!"

-

Naruto's body freezes at the name and his bright blue eyes widen in shock. "Wh-what was he doing here?" Sharply, the whiskered boy turns to face a calendar on the wall behind him. It was the last week of November; the week Naruto had secretly dubbed 'un-Sasuke week'. It was traditional ever since the two became aware of their rivalry. All year, the would fight except for this specific week. It was the week when Sasuke would go in an almost zombie-fied state and purposely avoided any contact with Naruto. On the first year, it had come as a surprise but as time wore on, it became the one week of the year Naruto looked forward too. A break, sort of speak, from hating each other so much. Naruto never considered asking the Uchiha why this way so; he simply accepted and adjusted to it. Now with the deal in place, it became more of a holiday from the bastard.

-

But if he was here, at the place where he thought safest from the jerk, then what in the hell was happening?

-

Sakura, unknowing of the things plaguing her friend's mind, continued to speak. "You know that weird guy from earlier, the one with all that crazy gray hair...?" She didn't wait for Naruto to confirm before continuing, "Well, I think Sasuke was out there waiting for him. He was in the passenger seat of this really nice black compact and looking out the window at that guy." The blond carefully thought over this new information.

-

"So...Sasuke was just waiting for that man?" he asked eagerly, panic residing. Maybe the bastard didn't know Naruto worked here after all. If that was the case, everything was completely safe and it was all just a big terrifying coincidence. He grinned widely. Saaaafe!

-

"Yeah, I guess. Sasuke even saw me and I waved at him!" she squealed. "And the car had all these nice..." Her voice had begun to drift off while the look of absolute joy and excitement was being replaced into a horrified expression. Naruto stopped from the little happy dance in his head and looked to his manager with a concern etched in his face.

-

"What's the matter? Something wrong?"

-

She bit her lower lip and looked at his with watery green eyes, near tears. "I just remembered. I saw flowers, Naruto. Wh-what if those flowers were for someone? For a girl?" she whispers depressingly. "I...I need to know who those flowers are for Naruto." Her eyes lighted up as an idea sparked. They slowly turned to Naruto, filled with hidden meaning and fake tears. "I-if only I knew for sure..."

-

At first, Naruto doesn't catch on but the scheming look of her eyes made it obvious her plan. "Oh hell no! I'm not going to- they're probably far away by now and all I have is a bike, Sakura!" He was, under no conditions, following his rival to a place filled with girls who admire the bastard. Though the chances of being caught was probably minimal, the embarrassment if he was caught was too great a risk.

-

"They're waiting at the stoplight right now and the places around here have so many shortcuts for you to take, Naruto!" She bats her eyelashes, trembles her lower lip, and, as the final touch, she mimics the sound of a choked sob at the back of her throat. Sakura herself wouldn't dare follow the object of her obsession for a variety of reasons. One, if caught, her actual chances of being with the Uchiha would go down the drain. For two, she wasn't nearly as good a navigator as Naruto around this place. And three, as the manager, she was dutybound to stay and keep a watchful eye over the shop. Naruto was her only chance and, so far, the blond was barely faltering in his stand. Given time, she was sure her charms could make him do anything. However, time was of the essence and the pink-haired female needed the other on his bike ASAP.

-

Time to pull out the heavy artillery.

-

"I'll go out with you for one night!"

-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

-

This was a bad idea. Naruto knew that when he found himself on his poor excuse of a bike. He knew it when he was turning at that third alleyway, vainly trying to keep the black car in his vision. Now, in a cemetery and ducking behind gravestones, Naruto was more sure of it than ever. Looking back, he could've stopped and turned around once they had obviously reached the parking lot of a cemetery. But by that time, his brain was lacking the oxygen to think properly so his feet just carried him over of their own will. Besides, maybe the Uchiha did have a girlfriend and planned to rendezvous at one of the creepy tombs in the local cemetery; the pale boy looked the part. If that were to happen and the tanned boy had gone back, than Sakura would never speak to him again. He just wanted to make extra super duper sure that those fancy white lilies were really for the dead, not the living.

-

Strangely, the man had stayed in the car, reading some type of orange book he never saw for sale at his bookstore, and left Sasuke to trudge up the lonely path by himself. Wasn't the bastard creeped out going to a cemetery by himself? Naruto followed closely, paying his own spy theme in his head as he ducked in and out from one headstone to another. This was actually kinda fun...in a I'm-playing-with-the-dead sort of way. Still, the thought of rotting corpses beneath his feet made his spine shiver.

-

The game finally ended when Sasuke stopped at three consecutive gravestones just a little way from the cobblestone path. Intrigued, Naruto watched his rival. As much as he hated the thought, the Uchiha seemed to belong in such a somber dreary place, especially now. He wore a long modern black trench coat with a high collar and few buckles and buttons for decoration. The black of his hair had always contrasted with his pale skin but the setting made it more appealing to the eye. Even those shocking white lilies in gripped firmly in his hand, seemed to be a piece of a portrait to highlight the mysterious aura of the Uchiha.

-

Naruto watched, throat dry, as Sasuke carefully sets two tightly bounded bouquets of lilies upon the first two graves. Afterwards, he kneels down and respectfully touches the top of the headstones with his fingertips, leaving them on the engraved marble for only a few seconds before retracting them again. There was no third bouquet for the last gravestone but he could still see a pale hand hesitantly move to the top. However within the inch of contact, the pale teen withdraws his fingers, as if it were burned. If there were any a time the blond wanted to see Sasuke's face, it was now. However, the way his stout body was positioned, the boy was already leaning as much as he dared.

-

A thousand questions mulled over his head. Who was the silver-haired man? Who did the gravestones belong to? Why did he only buy flowers for two? Fortunately, or unfortunately if the perceptions were altered, Naruto didn't have to wait long for the answers to one of his questions. Because right when the blond was unfocused with the questions in his head, a familiar voice broke through and promptly brought him back to reality.

-

"Come out. I know you've been following me."

-

The blond immediately froze. The last thing he needed was to be caught spying on his blood enemy, especially after witnessing so damn personal. What should he do? What the hell was he going to do? Panicking, he went through the different scenarios in his head. Making a run for it sounded like a good idea but then it'll make him seem like not only a spy, but a coward. Maybe Naruto could stay put and hope Sasuke gets bored and leaves? No, that only works for bears or something, not bastards. He gulped. Well, there was only one honorable option left. Here goes nothing.

-

Sasuke scowled when he laid eyes on him, recognizing his image immediately. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?" The voice is thick with ice and venom. But those dark black eyes glances at his bright red work vest and Naruto could see the genius put two and two together. "You work at that bookstore...don't you?" The shorter boy neither confirms or denies but his silence was more than enough. Suddenly, a twisted smirk aimed at the blond. "So, you would go so far as to follow me here, to impress that girl you work with?" The statement also had a double meaning; he could sense the arrogance dripping from the words. Naruto had to go through hoops and rings to get a girl, but Sasuke made little effort into getting hoards of admirers. Blue eyes flare angrily and a growl rumbles low in his throat. The reaction seemed to make the other smirk wider.

-

The blond couldn't bare to see that revolting look on the other's face so his eyes drifted to the side, towards the three gravestones beside the Uchiha. Curious, he reads the engravings and he immediately feels his rage at Sasuke ebb away. All three had Uchiha as their last name and judging by the dates and the rest of the etchings, they had been...this was...

-

"Th-that's you're family, isn't it...?" Sympathetic blue eyes turned back to the Uchiha, the severity of how much he had intruded on his rival's privacy smacked him breathless. Sasuke doesn't say anything but purses his lips together in a tight frown; any traces of a smirk wiped clean. Charcoal eyes glared at him at maximum force. Naruto doesn't know what else to say. An overwhelming guilt spread like cancer through his body. "I-I didn't know," he offers meekly. The other searches his eyes, his face, his body for any sign that the younger teen was lying. When he finds none, the Uchiha scowls again before turns around, back facing the blond and towards the graves of his family.

-

"Leave. Go."

-

That was a great idea. A perfect idea for someone in Naruto's position. The words were permission to forget this whole ordeal and pretend it never happened. Perfect.

-

But it wouldn't have felt right. Now that the blue-eyed blond knew that Sasuke was mourning the loss of his family, it didn't feel right to leave. Yes, the Uchiha was his worst enemy and a bastard and had forced Naruto to kiss him against his will. But right now, Naruto didn't see those things. Its a person, alone in the world, grieving for his family. He could hate him later but, presently, he couldn't bring himself to get angry enough. "I'll stay."

-

At this, Sasuke noticeably tensed. "Get the hell away, Uzumaki." The words are pronounced slowly. Threateningly.

-

A hint of defiance suddenly fills him. "Don't tell me what to do, bastard. I can stay if I want to." Slowly, Sasuke turns to face him, a murderous intent apparent in his stormy eyes. There's something in them that makes Naruto inwardly cringe, but he is a stubborn boy and refuse to budge under the pale boy's glare. Even when the Uchiha closed the distance between them, the boy didn't move. Without notice, his upper arms were trapped in a vice-like grip. Sasuke had done it so quickly that Naruto didn't even have time to react. The tanned boy swallowed a yelp of a surprise. A pair of narrowed sky-blue eyes stared unblinkingly at the menacing look of the other. "Let. Me. Go," he growls. Struggling against the hold, the shorter male began to twist and turn his body and arms, hoping to break free on his own. Instead, the grip tightens until he could no longer feel his blood pumping into the veins.

-

"If I do this..." Sasuke dips his head slowly into the crook of Naruto's neck, whispering into the tinted skin, "...would you still want to stay?" His breathe is coming out in heavy pants from the struggling. He feels the vibrations of the Uchiha laughing against the sensitive hairs of his neck. This was too much. This was going to far. The golden-haired blond lifts his right leg up in a powerful kick. The pale boy catches it with his own leg and they both fall to the ground, off balance. Sasuke smirks down at the struggling boy beneath him before lowering his head near the tip of the shorter blond's chin. Naruto shuts his eyes tightly, swearing to himself to kick the Uchiha's ass once he gets back up and cursing every single empathetic bone in his body.

-

"Do you still..." Even with his eyes closed, Naruto could feel Sasuke's smooth cool skin nuzzle gently against the edges of his jaw.

-

"...want to stay..." The bastard was moving his head lower, down the sun-kissed neck and suckling small random patches of skin.

-

"...with me?" With his nose, the Uchiha pushed down the collar of his t-shirt and was now planting kisses at the base of his neck. Sometimes, a cool wet tongue would lick his collarbone, making Naruto shake with a combination of anger and helplessness. But he feels something else. The grips on his arms were loosened. Taking the opportunity, the younger male freed himself from the grips on his upper arms and pushed Sasuke away with his free hands.

-

"You asshole!" Naruto screamed, landing a satisfying punch on the side of the pale face. He was completely flabbergasted of what just conspired. That was more than just a kiss! Was that whole thing supposed to scare him away? Did Sasuke really wanted to get rid of his that badly? Damn it, he wanted some fuckin' answers right now! Sasuke, wiping the remainder of his blood from his jaw line, glared at him. They locked eyes; angry lost blue eyes against cold deadly black.

-

"Wh-What the hell-?" Naruto made a reach for a pale wrist but a harsh slap clawed at his hand.

-

"Don't touch me. Don't _ever_ touch me."

-

It was easy to ignore the sting where the brunette had swiped his hand away. It was much harder to ignore the sting of the words. Harder to ignore the ugly tone in his rival's voice. Over the years, Sasuke had insulted, taunted, and berated him. But never..._never_ did the taller boy say not to touch him. Never did he talk to Naruto in a tone with so much disgust and resentment. Though the Uchiha was his greatest rival, he never treated the blond like a piece of useless shit. There is a lump developing at the back of his throat but Naruto swallows hard and, with much difficulty, it goes down.

-

"Fine, whatever bastard," he says spitefully. But something suddenly tugs at him and refuses to let go. It pleads with him to stay and not to leave. However, Naruto tries his best to ignore it and is already several steps away. Voices tell him to ask why Uchiha wanted to be left alone. 'If you aren't going to stay', they say, 'than at least ask'. They tell him that he wanted to know. Even if his hatred for Sasuke was at its peak, Naruto wanted to know. Its true and he tries to fight that urge. No, tells himself, what he really wanted was to kick Sasuke's pretty face in. Instead, he settles on the dirt, at the slippery grass, at the stones in his way. But the need to know nags at him, eats away at him until his steps slow to a halt.

-

"Why...?" he finally asks, voice cutting through the silence, "Why don't you want me to stay?"

-

The questioned seemed to have disturbed the paler boy; his head bows lower until half of his face is inside the thick high collar of his trench coat. When it was clear the blond would not leave until he received an answer, the brunette finally speaks. "I _want _to be alone."

-

Naruto's breathing hitched and familiar dull pain beated within his chest when he heard those words. Blue eyes promptly casted to the other, who now stood looking as still and worn as the corroded statues around them. The high collar combined with the long dark bangs obstructed his view of the pale face, but the blond could clearly imagine what it would've looked like. Those words always came with a certain face; spiteful eyes aimed at everyone and anyone, lips tight in a severe frown, and a dark mean energy seeping from every pore of the skin. It screamed for others to stay away without actually speaking.

-

Those words. That tone. The face. He remembered them well in the bathroom mirror not too long ago. The voice of people, mostly his fellow peers, echoed from the black part of his heart. Harsh laughter and hushed whispers rippled between the snippets of conversations that never truly left his ears.

-

_Who's that?_

_-_

_Why is he so weird?_

_-_

_He's so annoying!_

_-_

"Liar!" The single word came out in a scream in a voice too loud for a place too quiet. Naruto wasn't even clear if it was his own voice; the word had been shoved out of his throat so quickly. Sasuke turned to face him. Charcoal eyes regarded him icily but there was a flicker of emotion the whiskered boy had barely caught. Just a flicker but one that certainly existed. Calming himself, the golden-haired teen took a long and steady sigh before locking his sky-blue eyes to black. "You're lying," he breathed.

_-_

_Don't play with him!_

_-_

_He's always in trouble._

_-_

_The teachers hate him, ya'know._

-

"No one ever wants that." He abruptly broke their line of vision, not wanting to see the obvious hurt in his face mirrored in the reflective eyes of his rival. If his hands weren't preoccupied in tightly fisting the fabric of his jeans, the blond would've covered his ears to stop hearing his own voice. He was only babbling now; words appeared automatically and his lips moved on their own accord. If there was a sense to them, the tanned boy didn't follow nor care. In the other's silence, Naruto could feel the Uchiha listening as closely as if he was speaking through a god. "Being alone, no one wants that. No one."

-

_No, you can't play._

_-_

_Ewww, he touched me!_

_-_

_Leave him alone. Let's go. _

-

"Being lonely, its given and you're_ forced _to take it." The words came out bitter and rigid. Damn it, his eyes were getting a bit watery now. Head still bowed to his chest, Naruto closed his eyes tightly to rid the excess water, desperately hoping the Uchiha didn't see them drop to the dirt. Sasuke would never live it down if he knew. His breathing had become shortened also, resembling steady quiet gasps. His heart was racing at a million miles per hour to warm blue-cold fingertips. Damn it, even his shoulders were shaking. 'Stop it!' he thought bitterly, 'Damn it, _Sasuke's_ watching!'

-

Furiously, he wiped at his eyes with one hard swipe. Composing himself, the blue-eyed boy stilled his shoulders and took deep settling breaths. When he was done, Naruto drearily lifted his eyes back to the Uchiha, who seemed unfazed by the fleeting emotional display. There was a heavy emptiness that neither confirmed or denied Naruto's statements. At the utter blankness of the pale features, the shorter boy felt the most unexpected sensation.

-

_Relief_.

-

This enormous relief. It was from seeing Sasuke unchanged after such a display. The blank expression and the cold turn of his shoulder was hurtful but it was probably the only thing the bastard could do. What mattered was what didn't happen, not what did. There were no appeasing motions or calming words but he never interrupted when Naruto was speaking; the dark-haired teen listened to him from start to finish with not even a snicker. Sasuke had allowed him to speak freely, without judgment or pity. This must be how the stoic teen showed his less-of-an-asshat side.

-

Admittedly, some part of him wished for a comforting arm, a sympathetic voice with a string of nice words, but those acts were too temporary. Experience had told him these actions, while may done with true heart at the time, easily faded away. His friends and even Tsunade, they would have tried to soothe and protect him. Though well meaning, those actions were useless, even damaging. It made him feel weak and a burden to those he wished to cherish and protect. It was comparable to having a bullet wound and everyone trying to find a large enough band-aid to help him stop the bleeding.

-

And among those frantic people, a single jerk would say to him, "Go to the hospital, dumbass."

-

The blond could feel himself laughing at his train of thought. By the way he was sounding, it was if he considered Sasuke to be the most important person in his life. The great Sasuke Uchiha. Vowed rival, blood enemy, and all that crap. Maybe the lack of oxygen from earlier was finally catching up to him. However, it didn't change the fact that the paler boy had been the one constant in his life. Always berating him on personal flaws. Always fighting him. Always pushing him to the edge of his sanity.

-

And always..._always **here**_.

-

The grass was always green. The sun was always bright. And Sasuke would always be there; ready to dodge Naruto's throws and deliver his own. He allowed a minute to pass, to let this thought sink in. To allow himself to fully grasp the edges of something he felt too important to slip away. Something _big_ and _real_ and **_here_**. Without thinking, his feet took small cautious steps towards the Uchiha, who stood firmly rooted to the same spot. _**Here.**_When he was finally within reach, Naruto raised his arm, his fingers stretching to touch a part of other. **_Here. _**Just one small touch, Sasuke. Just to make sure it is...its really...

-

"Fuck off, dead last."

-

And it was gone. Automatically, Naruto pulled his arm back, letting it swing to the side of his body. His legs stopped moving. For that time, the blond must've held his breath, because he had to take deeper breathes this time. Must be an allergic reaction, he thought amusingly, from being too close to the bastard. The corners of his mouth tugged up at the small joke. Blue eyes looked at the back of the head, boring holes through the spiky black locks that defied gravity. He wasn't sure what just happened; everything seemed to have happened by a switch of his subconscious. The arrogant Uchiha must've felt it too, judging by how tense he looked underneath the heavy trench coat. But it had scared him, for Naruto to be that close to touching him without any intent to harm or fight. It wasn't something the pale boy was used to. Judging by his trembling hand and the dryness in his tongue, Naruto wasn't either.

-

So close, but still holding back. What a strange feeling.

-

The blue-eyed boy suddenly remembered his senses and straightened his back. The ends of his mouth lifted upwards. Just barely. "Fuck you, bastard," he replied, if only to continue the tradition of retort. In one step, Naruto found himself standing firmly at the other's side, never intending to leave before the Uchiha's. He had doubted beforehand, but this time he had more than enough reason to stay put.

-

Nothing was exchanged between the two. What words were left? Even if Naruto was articulate enough, he wouldn't want to clutter up the air with empty shallow conversation. For one minute or one eternity, they waited. Not used to being so still, the shorter teen shifted his knees and swayed the muscles of his neck. Every once in a while, he'd peek at the Uchiha, if only to see if he was actually alive, and see the same damn unchanging pose. The pale boy must be part rock or something. The only difference the shorter boy could see was in the eyes; there was a newfound warmness to those coal eyes as if a minute flame had been lit. Of course, it could be the trick of the light since the sun was dipping rather low. Surely, it was a combination of that and the blue-eyed teen's wishful thinking. Most likely, in fact.

-

And yet his smile grew larger at the idea; it actually started to ache a bit. After all, there were weirder things than being unexplainably happy standing next to your blood rival in a cemetery in front of his dead family. If that annoying but pleasant bubbling in his stomach would stop for a minute, than Naruto swore he could think a dozens of different scenarios. The silver haired man from earlier arrived a short time later, smiling pleasantly at the sight of them. " Aren't you the guy from earlier? From the bookstore?" he asked cheerfully, recognizing the red work vest. Hesitantly, the whiskered teen nodded. "Are you a friend?" Before he could think of a suitable reply, Sasuke interrupted.

-

"No, he's just another visitor." The shorter male felt a tinge of disappointment at being regarded so thoughtlessly but he swallowed his pride and stayed silent. The silver haired man cocked an eyebrow at the quick answer, suspicion evident in his face. However, one quick look at a wrist watch made it obvious that he was pressed for time. He motioned for Sasuke that it was time to go, pointing at the timepiece and jabbing his thumb back towards the parking lot. The pale teen let out a scowl but trudged off to the cobblestone path, sparing one last fleeting look at Naruto. The older man chuckled good-naturedly at the glare he received as the Uchiha passed by. When Sasuke was out of earshot, the man strayed behind and faced the blond for one last time.

-

"Whatever you are...thanks," he started, smiling warmly at the blue-eyed boy, "He really needed that." With the archaic parting, he left the blond, a baffled look on rounded features. Only when they disappeared from his vision did the teen thought of asking the many questions he had burning an his tongue. He cursed at the missed opportunity. But maybe it was better this way; he didn't want to know too much about his rival. The whiskered teen released a long tired sigh, stretched his stiff muscles, and took a long last look around the empty cemetery. Sakura was still waiting at the store.

-

He better not make her wait any longer.

-

Feeling alleviated, Naruto made his way to his bicycle on lighter steps, crushing developing dewdrops on the grass around the graves. The orange bike was still where he left it, between a cross and a praying angel. After shaking a few beads of water from the frayed seat, he took off, respectfully apologizing to the dead underneath the speeding tires. He relished the speed at which he pedaled when he reached the cement of the sidewalk. Since it was getting darker, there weren't as many people to dodge around. The blond loved the exhilaration it took on his body, even the sting of his bangs whipping the side of his face. He grinned madly at the wind, sitting up on the pedals for a few seconds in-between bursts of pedaling to reach the greatest height manageable.

-

Needing a rest, he stopped two blocks shy of the bookstore in the middle of a Laundromat's deserted parking lot. His hair was a messier than usual, mussed up and hopelessly tangled. The signature red work vest had come undone and the pin of his nametag poked through his jean pocket. Sakura would undoubtedly chastise him for looking so unprofessional after she finished squeezing every detail of the day from him. The thought of it made Naruto sigh inwardly. Though he didn't owe the bastard anything, the blond would keep the whole cemetery thing a secret for now. Sakura, of course, would be relieved at his insistence that it wasn't another girl but he would refuse to divulge much else. Of course, he would need to think of some plausible line to feed to her since she could be rather relentless in getting information. The next few days would be, as Shika would say, troublesome.

-

A sharp ray of light suddenly caught his eye and directed him towards the clear horizon, dashed with rippling colors of an approaching evening. The tanned boy never was the one to romanticize sunsets but he felt deserving today. In the distance, Naruto could hear a combination of rustling trees from the nearby park and moving cars from the highway behind him; the song of the city. It was a satisfying finale to the day.

-

Briefly, he wondered if Sasuke was seeing the same thing. Even someone as cold and serious as him could appreciate something like this once in a while. The candy colors of the sky. The complete calm. The soul-soothing peace. Everything was simply too nice to be ignored.

-

Naruto took a deep breath. Closed his eyes. A small memory of the day floated to the front of his mind: new bruises and a bleeding lip, a comfortable quiet among graves, and a shaky barely noticeable smile on a pale face. He exhaled and opened his eyes to catch the last bit of sun sinking below the ground, leaving only traces of the brilliance it briefly held in the day.

**-**

Yeah. It really was nice.

**-**

**-**

**-**to be continued-

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**Special's A/N**: To start, I beg a thousand forgiveness's for being so horribly late but, believe me, I did have a very good explanation involving the trials of moving to another state, temporary homelessness, and many _many_ cousins. All of which lead to my physical impossibility to be near a computer (-weeps-) save for fleeting moments at the local library. Currently, I'm able to type up the chapters but the only way for me to actually upload it onto is to save it on a disc and hand it to my younger sister who has a computer class with internet access. Hopefully, I'll be able to get something at home within the next week or two.

All in all, this chapter...is rushed. Absolutely. Positively. I started it right when I was able to once I get my computer up and running after so many weeks in storage. If there are any mistakes(I'm really...really sure there are), whether in grammar or storyline, please leave a review and I'll try to fix it as soon as I can. Speaking of which, though I didn't have time to reply, I did have time to read the first page of reviews in my inbox and I'm very _**very** _grateful for the encouragements so far. I really hope I didn't cause too much anxiety over the sudden hiatus. **_All of you are too awesome for words!_** The first thing I'll do once the internet guy leaves is send replies to the ones who had questions and comments concerning the story; I hope you guys didn't feel too ignored at my silence. Really, I didn't think the move would be so chaotic. -flails arms-

As for my feelings for this chapter, I'm content with how it turned out considering the circumstances but I do think it was a little draggy in some parts and choppy in others. Urgh. I need to revamp it as soon as possible. Its just...leaps everywhere to me. Introducing Sakura and Kakashi was the main point of the chapter but I guess the scene between Sasuke and Naruto kinda stole it away. Amazing what three months of pent-up inspiration would do... So, what do _you_ think? I welcome any amount of comment and critic so please don't be shy! 8D

Hopefully, the next chapter won't be as long to update. Again, I'm really really sorry for being so late. The extra long chapter length is an apology gift...;;


	5. Sandcastles Collasping

**Disclaimer**: Naruto does not belong to me. His cute behind is Uchiha property.

**Summary:** Sasuke's past is revealed. Shikamaru bluffs, Sakura remains persistent, and Naruto is again conflicted.

Another really long eventful chapter for everyone in return for their patience for the really _really_ long wait and for those who thought I died or something Apologies beforehand for the scene changes; all of them were necessary in progressing the story...Dx There's also some SasuSaku and NaruSaku in here. Hope you guys don't mind...

Long chapter is looooong.

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_The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares._

- Henri Nouwen

-

Yeah. It really was nice.

-

**Chapter Five: Sandcastles Collapsing**

-

Long fingers stretched tiredly over the tall mound of haphazardly stacked manila folders shoved to the right of a cherry wood desk. Feeling for the thickest of them, padded fingertips glided up and down the pile until they felt the specific file. It was, after all, the only one held together by a combination of twine around its girth, duck tape at its spine, and a lesser miracle keeping it all together. The psychiatrist grumbled lowly when he figured it was on the bottom half of the stack; pulling it out would mean far too much work when everything tumbled down to the lush carpeted floor. Times like these he wonders if it would be worth the effort transferring the ancient paper medium into digital bytes of data on a computer.

-

He dismissed the idea almost immediately. To him, the computer was strictly a place to save, read, and search for new literotica with maybe an accompanying illustration or two. Placing his patient files next to _those_ would feel a bit too awkward for his liking. What happened if he accidentally clicked the wrong file and, instead of a racy story of lonely schoolgirls, he's reminded of a patient who fantasized about castrating random men? That would definitely kill the libido.

-

Resigned to his fate, Kakashi Hatake reluctantly started to shift the files, splitting the stack until he reached the folder. He wasn't lazy but it was rather late and it had been a long day of screaming marriage counsels and whiny business executives. The prospect of staying an hour late just to fill out legal reports would make anyone weep in exasperation. He envied the other doctors in the clinic who clock in and out on easy schedules, especially that Dr. Yakushi who's list of patients were exclusive to the fabulously wealthy.

-

Ah. Here it is. Out of habit, Kakashi smoothed out the crinkles around the corners and slapped it down his desk. Judging by sheer size alone, the file was his biggest and most exhausting case. With a pair of scissors, he snipped away at the twine and carefully opened the folder, offhandedly catching any escaping loose-leaf papers. For the millionth time, the doctor read over the bolded title of the document first given to him almost half a year ago.

-

**Case #00-092-3917: Sasuke Uchiha **

**-**

His eyes glazed over one of the many occupying photographs. A young sullen boy with hard eyes peered back wearing clothes much too dark for his age. It didn't suit him then, Kakashi thought, but it's all the kid ever wears now -as if his life consisted of one funeral after another. Considering the dreary wardrobe, it was a crying shame how handsomely Sasuke had grown into young adulthood, even though dark colors did suit him rather well. The rest of the photos weren't too shabby either; the Uchiha didn't have a bad angle on him! Girls must be throwing themselves at his feet and yet the pale teen never once mentioned a girlfriend, a crush, or anything that could have a functioning uterus. What a waste! Now if it was _him_ in that same position-

-

Ah, but he was straying from the subject again. Kakashi rested his face on the palm of his hand as his eyes went over the rest of the dry information before nonchalantly flipping to the next section. Names of faceless social workers and judges appeared with a thick contract neatly tucked underneath. Outlines and procedures filled with legal jargon took up much of the folder, held together by a mess of slightly bent paper clips and strained staples. Dr. Hatake switched to the police reports, again searching for hidden clues that could lead him to a much-needed breakthrough with the pale teen.

-

In his profession, victims of severe crimes were disturbingly common cases; because of which, the renown psychiatrist had expected a rather straightforward case. The old detective in charge had been reluctant in giving the confidential files but immediately eased when he recognized the orange book underneath the doctor's arm; they had a quite enjoyable conversation about it before going back to business. The pleasantry ended when the old man handed him the necessary documentation. Imagine the surprise when he was finally informed of the more vivid details of the incident. Kakashi could still remember the cold shock as he read the papers and took in the photographs taken at the scene. It wasn't just a homicide; it was a bloody massacre the likes never seen before in Kohona.

-

The walls were splattered in red; the carpet drenched in pools of dark blood. Kakashi could almost taste the damp smell of dried copper and iron. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted little signs linking to the killer's personality while flipping through each photograph. The murders were brutal but clean with the bodies meticulously laid in a way that made it clear the killer had held a calm mindset at the time. Apparently, a lone bullet to the head was the preferred method, but there were some evidence of deep slashes from an elongated blade -a sword probably from the family's own private collection. The most haunting thing to consider was the executioner seemed to have gone out of his way to face the victims before the kill; the fatal wounds were made from the front only. It was as if he had wanted the satisfaction of seeing the unimaginable fear in their eyes before their life was utterly extinguished.

-

Unfortunately, there was still more tragedy to the story.

-

Supposedly, the seven-year-old Sasuke had seen the carnage unfold by none other than Itachi Uchiha, his beloved older brother. It was assumed afterwards that there was a struggle between the two Uchihas when Itachi tried to kill the last member of his family. The struggle ended with Itachi's body on the ground, a bullet wound to the head, and the younger Uchiha still holding the gun when police finally arrived to investigate the disturbance in the alarm system. Even though it was pretty clear what had transpired, Sasuke never once confirmed it himself and no one wanted to risk traumatizing the child even further. Besides, enough bits and pieces were gathered by forensics to have a clear story; Itachi didn't try to hide anything.

-

To this day, no one was entirely clear of the intentions leading to the murders. Some suggested that it was a culmination of stress and a sudden mental illness. Others offered that it could've involved some sort of shady business dealings; after all, those Uchihas did handle a lot of money and money always lead to suffering. For months afterwards, the media buzzed with wild theories consisting of mafia influence, extortion, and even hypnosis. Every housewife and every co-worker had created their own little insight of the incident. Kakashi found it both kind of funny and kind of sad how little Sasuke, the only survivor, was hardly mentioned in any of these theories.

-

Unfortunately, many aspects after the incident had taken its toll. He couldn't really blame the all too crappy legal system; it was a pretty troublesome case to deal with and unfolded like a cheap television special. Though the Uchiha family had many business partners and workers, there was hardly anyone who knew them on a personal level. Available relatives were next to nil and social friends were unaccountable at best. In the end, it turned into a rat race of people who were clearly after their own self-interest instead of the best interest of the child- nothing but a flurry of red-faced lawyers, court room brawls, and underhanded legal maneuvers. The winner had been decided best solely on his ability to out manipulate and deceit the rest, hardly loving parent qualities.

-

Kakashi felt a familiar ball of frustration curl up in the pit of his stomach as he flipped to the page concerning Sasuke's previous guardian. He had never met the man but from the profile, the doctor instinctively knew that he was far from the perfect father figure. The shrewd man had been a very close business wise to the Uchihas before the massacre and had been in regular contact with the family for almost a decade. He had no criminal record but Kakashi chalked it up to the guy being harder to net than a snake covered in oil. It was fairly obvious even to the most naive onlooker that the man only wanted control of the Uchiha's business assets; since the boy was still so young, whoever took responsibility for him automatically received the inherited role in all business affairs. Unfortunately, the snake ended up being the most reasonable choice out of the entire pathetic cluster.

-

Fortunately, during the nine years of his guardianship, Sasuke didn't seem to have been _too_ badly mistreated. In the attached medical stubs, there was no indication of either sexual or physical abuse, though psychological abuse and neglect can be argued. The worst example would probably be how the man had never taken Sasuke to a professional despite the fact it was heavily suggested by the courts. As a compromise, the man had submitted Sasuke to some outside appointments but the doctor's name had been kept confidential.

-

Only recently did Lady Luck seem to have finally taken pity on Sasuke's life. His guardian had finally slipped up and was currently under investigation for an array of serious white-collar crimes: embezzlement, fraud, insider trading, etc. Though Kakashi was curious of what specifically these crimes were, he knew better than to inquire about an ongoing case. He did, however, hear spectacular rumors of hired killings but that could very likely be an exaggeration by the city tabloids. Out of caution, the judge had given Sasuke the option of being temporarily removed and become a ward of the state to avoid the negative atmosphere, considering his unique circumstances.

-

But instead of being passed onto another set of greedy hands, Sasuke had chosen to become emancipated. From what he'd heard, Sasuke's former guardian had been enraged at losing his standing over the Uchiha stocks and businesses. He had been effectively removed from his position and forced to go into near isolation because of the police investigation. Though Sasuke had legal control over his company's stocks, he was still in high school and had assigned new board directors to look over the various businesses under Uchiha control. The psychiatrist had been impressed by how mature the young male had handled the situation- the boy's going to grow up to be quite something.

-

At the age of sixteen, the young boy decided to become a legitimate adult, though there were a set of conditions he had to abide by in order to keep his freedom. Since Sasuke has had an excellent academic record and no outstanding criminal record, the judge didn't see a reason to deny the request. However, he also didn't want to take chances on the boy's mental health. The massacre, after all, must have been deeply traumatizing and he didn't want to be held responsible for another Uchiha massacre.

-

And that's where he stepped in: Dr. Kakashi Hatake, renowned child psychiatrist specializing in severe emotional trauma. In order for the proceedings to be approved, the young Uchiha had to concede to weekly meetings with the doctor. Reports were to be written and, at the end of the trial period, which was just short of a full year, Kakashi was to testify if the boy was mentally stable enough to live peacefully as an independent member of the community. Personally, the doctor thought the judge just wanted a person to be accountable for any possible breakdown in the future; he would be the first to blame if Sasuke does go insane, especially if his report said otherwise. Kakashi immediately agreed despite the pressure.

-

He had a debt to repay left long ago by Obito Uchiha. Saving the last of the Uchiha's was the perfect way of going at it.

-

However, Sasuke was far from being cooperative- no, that didn't exactly fit well. Sasuke was cooperative but with a very thick air of impudence towards psychiatrist. After what the Uchiha had experienced, Kakashi had expected some trust issues but this was getting ridiculous. Professionals like himself always preferred the patient to speak whatever they wanted and whenever they wish; forcing someone to talk was reserved for police stations, not private offices. Because of which, sessions can become a complete autobiography or a complete silence; it was up to the patient. The pale teen overwhelmingly preferred the latter.

-

Oh, there would be clipped answers or harsh glares when he would ask questions such as 'how was your day?' or 'how do you feel?' or the more recent 'how's your sex life?' but they usually go the full two-hour sessions unconditionally silent. Months have gone by and Dr. Hatake felt as if he barely scratched the surface. He already exhausted most of his methods into getting the patient to open up from bribery, failing miserably since Sasuke could afford anything he could offer, to indirect conversational questions, which were simply ignored. He even tried reading his literotica aloud just to fill in the hush and was promptly threatened with a sexual misbehavior lawsuit.

-

...Such a frustrating self-righteous brat- now _there's_ someone who needed some high-quality porn. Biggest sack of repressed hormones-

-

Kakashi shook himself from his musings and went back to the almost forgotten file at hand, mindlessly flipping to his stack of weekly reports. His shoulders sagged as he read the scribbled passages and attached notes written thus far into the visits. On rare occasion, Dr. Hatake would scribble some offhanded comment slipped up by Sasuke but it was all too vague to draw solid conclusions. Even a renowned doctor like himself couldn't form a judgment without something to back up his decisions and the young Uchiha had yet to show any signs of improvement. Just one flicker of emotion, other than dislike...or extreme dislike, would be enough to keep his hopes up but the patient was a complete dry spell in that department.

-

Which was why he had suggested that Sasuke should visit the grave of his family during the anniversary of the massacre. It wasn't something he did often, forcing a person to actively mourn the deceased, but Kakashi wanted him to directly confront his past. Was it drastic? Yes, indefinitely, but what choice was there left? Given, there was a chance that the act could completely break down the last stable line in the teen's head but it was better than the stalemate they were currently experiencing. Surprisingly, there was little opposition to the idea, just the usual hard glare quickly replaced by the usual apathetic look. Though discreetly, Kakashi had noted a large increase in the tension between them; the week following their trip had Sasuke more nervous in their sessions if his body language was any indication. Stiff limb movements, hard-set eyes, tight frown lines, etc.

-

When the day finally arrived, he opened the office door to find Sasuke with bouquets of white lilies in his hands. Of course it was a common tradition to bring flowers to a grave but he hadn't expected the teen to do something this sentimental. Before Kakashi could inquire about it, the younger man answered his questioning look with a dull stare and a low voice, refusing to meet his eyes as he looked down at the soft petals.

-

_"Purity. Majesty. That's what she said they meant." _

-

The moment was so surreal that Kakashi didn't have the heart to elaborate the definition was meant for a female lover, not murdered parents. The absent of a third bouquet didn't go unnoticed either. But considering the sensitivity of the situation, he fought down the strong urge to properly record the information and gave an understanding nod of the head before leading them to his car. Ten minutes into the drive, he found himself somewhat parched over his excitement and had made a small stop at a local bookstore/cafe to get a little snack. Sasuke simply glared out the window, still extremely disagreeable but otherwise patient. Afterwards, when he insisted on going alone in the cemetery, he couldn't refuse because mourning was a very personal act and he himself preferred to do it alone. It'll be hypocritical to deny that basic human right.

-

Besides, demanding to go along would only make the young Uchiha more tense and distrusting. Added to which he knew that Sasuke wouldn't consider anything too rash or drastic, though he showed signs of being somewhat unstable. So Kakashi had ended up staying in the car, book in one hand and a pastry in the other, a steaming brew in the cup holder. Admittedly, he should've paid more attention to the time; Sasuke could've been abducted by greedy criminals or hormonal girls or something even more malicious. When he finally did noticed, half an hour had elapsed without a peep. Worried, Dr. Hatake hastily bookmarked his book and went to check up on the dark-eyed teen.

-

Unexpected couldn't begin to describe what lay before him. Not only was Sasuke alive and healthy but there was also _another_ person standing in close proximity, enough to establish a familiarity between the two. He immediately recognized the other as the employee who worked behind the counter at the bookstore, a shorter male blond with blue eyes and distinct lines on his cheeks. Was this person a friend? Strange. His patient never mentioned having anyone he was on good terms with much less a friend. However, the blond was obviously chummy, if that wide grin and side glances back at the other were any indication. Added to which Sasuke was at least tolerate of the company, judging by his relaxed shoulders.

-

Sasuke Uchiha? _Not _annoyed by another's presence? From their sessions, the pale teen seemed to be as social as a rabid dog. During the few times they had actually conversed, it was mostly of what Sasuke hated and anything dealing sociable was at the top of the list. Unless it was absolutely necessary like school projects, club activities, or legal proceedings, the younger teen preferred to avoid contact with the world altogether. Kakashi was under the impression that the pale teen was a true loner in every sense of the word.

-

So what made this blond kid an exception?

-

If he could spare the time, Kakashi would have been most content to observe the two boys standing quietly next to each other, scribbling observations on his notepad, but his time with the Uchiha was nearing its end; there was another appointment to get to. The doctor waited the longest possible moment before approaching the boys, who seemed surprised and, in Sasuke's case, extremely displeased at the interruption. When inquired, the brunette had hurriedly dismissed the other as a stranger but strangers didn't emit an atmosphere like those two had. There was definitely a history between them. Dr. Hatake made sure to take a good look at the blond's face, just for recognition sake. He also vaguely remembers expressing gratitude towards the cafe worker but was so excited at the recent turn of events it was hard to be sure.

-

Furthermore, when was the last time he saw his patient as relaxed on the drive home? The pale teen did seem tired but content, as if a great weight had finally been lifted over his hunched shoulders. The way Sasuke had propped himself, an elbow on the armrest and a forehead on the window, allowed light from the setting sun to warm over the features of the pale face. It was a good sign, definitely, when he also saw a shadow of a smile play on the lips.

-

In any case, he planned on visiting that bookstore more often. Hopefully, they have a nice selection of _adult_ material.

-

With this in mind, Kakashi Hatake finally reached for his ball-point pen, clicking lightly at the top end. After a moment of quiet contemplation, the fingers around the pen tightened and moved to form the longest weekly review he had ever written for the file. The psychiatrist suddenly stopped as the pen neared the final lines of the paper. The unfamiliar hesitation dissipated away as he moved to write the final two words.

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_Showing improvement._

-

Kakashi stared at the fresh ink, a discreet smile on his face, as he relaxed against the heavily cushioned chair.

-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

-

"Want some Naruto?" An opened bag of barbecue flavored chips was shoved underneath the tanned teen's nose; the aroma so strong and pungent that Naruto reflexively shoved the bag away. It was morning break and all four were huddled in their usual corner of the school's courtyard. Chouji shrugged off Naruto's refusal and went back to his chips, munching contently on an exceptionally seasoned piece. Kiba was the main initiator of conversation with excruciating details of a promising puppy from the latest litter; it was surprising how lengthy a description of fur color could take. As always, Shikamaru preferred to keep out from the conversation, choosing instead to be a casual observer. Naruto, he noted silently, was acting particularly quiet today.

-

However, it was a comfortable silence- one held in junction with a smile.

-

When Kiba was finally finished, Shikamaru gingerly pointed out Naruto's silence with a curious expression on his face. Chouji and Kiba, also taking notice, asked if anything happened but the blond had shrugged it off to a restless night; his smile growing into a full-blown grin at their worried expressions. Shika still looked incredulous but said nothing as the conversation turned back to Kiba. None of them were the type to delve into personal matters, any who. It'll simply look suspicious, and extremely out of character if Shikamaru prodded for any further information.

-

"So, my mom said I can keep him since it seems to like me so much," Kiba started eagerly, "Any ideas for names?"

-

"What about dumbass?" Naruto joked through his playful grin, "After its owner." Chouji paused in-between bites to chuckle at the joke while Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Kiba scowled but quickly recovered with a retort of his own.

-

"Yeah well, I could name it _Runt_ after you but it's already bigger than that." In reality, Naruto was just a few inches shorter than the average male student but was still the shortest in their group. Expectantly, the short-tempered blond took the bait and was now engaged in a heated argument with Kiba, exchanging crude comebacks, while Chouji and Shikamaru took the appropriate steps back to avoid the crossfire. With wandering eyes, Shikamaru caught a meaningful glance from across the court; they held each other's stare for a second before the other walked into the nearest building.

-

_Follow. _

-

Understanding, Shikamaru did a quick look over the surrounding area before deeming it safe to leave his post from Naruto's side. He gave a large yawn, momentarily attracting the attention of his friends. "I'm gonna go to the library," he said lazily, nodding off to the appropriate direction, "Gonna sleep until the bell." He paused, gesturing if anyone wanted to come along but everyone knew it was an empty act of consideration. None of them found the library the least bit interesting, wanting to stay as far from the place as possible.

-

Shikamaru gave a wave goodbye, which Chouji was the only one not busy enough to return since the other two returned to their previous bickering, and walked casually towards the building. As he entered the empty hallway, brown eyes scanned the hallway. Almost immediately, he saw the indifferent figure, leaning against a door frame of an empty classroom. The older teen met his eyes for a mere millisecond before opening the door and entering the classroom with the room left opened for him to follow. Shikamaru, after one brief glance around the hallway, smoothly approached the door and slide inside. He gently closed the door and swiftly locked it.

-

Neji Hyuuga stood before him, blank irises scanning over a wrinkled note he held with a steady hand. His body forming a silhouette in front of the downed blinds from behind. "I found this in my locker," he said quietly, eyes finally leaving the paper. He directed his gaze at Shikamaru, who stood with most of his weight, leaned on one foot and both hands in the pocket, a neutral posture. Though his face was blank of any emotion, his mind meticulously went over the number of possible outcomes in his head, making sure to have a carefully worded statement to each conceivable outcome. Preparation was key and he had to make certain not to say too much or too little. Naruto's safety- his sanity depended on this.

-

"So, what do you want to do?" Shikamaru asked bluntly, leaving just enough vagueness for individual interpretation. Watching for any tweak of the other's features, he had learned long ago to trust a person's body language more so than actual words. 'The most important principle was for both corresponded to one another,' he remembered. Neji seemed to be in conflict with himself, eyes focusing and refocusing on the ink scrawled on the paper the senior was holding; he might be a genius in his own right but Shikamaru specialty was tactical strategy. If there was any indication that the hunch was a mistake, it wouldn't be too hard to switch the situation over to his advantage.

-

After some moments passed, Neji looked up with a slight frown. "How did you know?" he asked lowly, looking at the other suspiciously. "I made sure to be as inconspicuous as possible regarding... _him_." The long-haired brunette stood calmly but the wrinkle of his brow and the unsettling look of his eyes showed a state of disbelief. Shikamaru gave an exasperated sigh; he hated giving long explanations but this seemed unavoidable. To give due credit, he wasn't one hundred percent certain about the senior class president but the possibility still had enough likelihood to risk, statistically speaking.

-

"To tell you the truth, I guessed," he drawled, giving a light shrug, "But I suspected it for a long time now, especially after that fight a while back." Neji listened intently as he focused the white pupils at the other, forcing Shikamaru to send a slight shiver up and down his spine. The blank stare was so creepy; he really didn't grasp how some girls found it irresistible. "Of course, they were all very little things but the accumulation of which made it natural for me to reach that conclusion." For emphasis, he paused and stared accusingly at the senior with a sly smirk to exude the confidence not completely there. "Naruto might be a dense but I'm not." This had turned into a game of bluff, seeing who would fold first with the imaginary cards they were playing.

-

Slowly but surely, Neji noticeably stiffened. The hand grasping the note tightened, fingers paled even more than their original color.

-

**Bingo**. That was the big sign Shikamaru had been waiting for; the final mark needed to give his hunches complete credibility. He had come in with a small amount of uncertainty but, so far, all signs were showing him correct. But of course, Neji was not the type to make it easy. After all, the best card player would plant self-doubt in his opponents even if he had the lesser advantage; the older brunette was still a formidable opponent.

-

"Your assumptions of me could be wrong," the Hyuuga replied airily, "I might not dislike him as intensely as before, but that does not mean I would go out of my way to help." Shikamaru made sure his smirk didn't falter as Neji returned with a sneer of his own. "I could even warn the Uchiha about this and ruin your entire plan." However, as Shikamaru's sharp eyes noted, his tense posture gave away any plausibility in the bluff.

-

"Yeah, I _could_ have been wrong -there's always that possibility- but I'm not," he answered, undaunted by the threat and straightening his back with both hands still in his pockets. "You _do_ want to help Naruto, right?" His approach was working; Neji seemed to be the type who would rather speak in riddles, preferring to catch his opponents off guard. But by speaking directly with no option for a turnaround, Shika had forced the senior into a narrow corner that made it harder for the other to skip around.

-

Neji glared irritably out the windows, where small glimpses of sunlight had peeked through the blinds and the chattering of their schoolmates can be heard. Momentarily, Shikamaru doubted if Neji was truly the best candidate for this strategy. There was little question that he was the best choice but considering the limited options, it didn't mean the absolute best for the job. It was too late to dawdle on the thought now, however, and if the long-haired senior accepted the position, his plan would be sealed. Shikamaru just hoped his analysis of Neji's brief interaction with Naruto showed enough support to successfully pull this off.

-

At one time, there was no doubt Neji had really disliked Naruto; after all, the blond was the only one he was ever angry enough to fight with. Because of Shikamaru's overprotective attitude of his friends, he had kept a close eye on Neji, fully expecting him to enact some sort of vengeance towards Naruto. After all, it would've have been pretty humiliating to lose to the school reject, even if most chalked it up as a fluke. However, after the fight, the Hyuuga's attitude towards the younger blond became drastically different from what he formerly predicted. The animosity between the two seemed to evaporate into thin air, replaced by some awkward sense of comradery. Sensing the secrecy, Shikamaru had decided to ignore it for the most part except for one nagging trait of their odd relationship.

-

If it only happened a few times, he would've brushed it off to some sort of unspoken understanding between two former enemies- a friendly passive interest. But this seemed more of an ongoing ritual done with such precision and care, especially on Neji's part. While Naruto remained oblivious of it, content with not having another enemy to watch over his shoulder, Shikamaru had noticed the small signs on the senior's part: a lingering gaze, an unnecessarily warm smile, etc. It was much too out of character for one of the coldest students in the school. He had concluded, rather accurately it seemed, that Neji held Naruto with some amount of importance, whether as a friend or otherwise remained to be seen.

-

Shikamaru shook himself away from his musings as he heard the other turn back to him- a look of defeat but with a flare of hard determination.

-

"What do I have to do?"

-

It came in a low voice, a dry whisper, but it was exactly what he wanted to hear. Shikamaru allowed himself a small smile of appreciation at his new partner, relief filling him at the victory. In reaction, Neji himself relaxed and waited expectedly for directions.

-

"Keep the Uchiha busy," he stated carefully, "As head of the student council, you can take up his time with some kind of paperwork or project and have an excuse to keep an eye on him without looking suspicious." Neji nodded in understanding, resting the bottom of his chin in a thoughtful gesture while waiting for the other to continue. "The point is making sure he doesn't have a chance of going after Naruto; he won't do it with you around." The explanation was brief and short but he trusted in Neji's judgment to do what was necessary outside the lines.

-

"What is he doing to Naruto?" the Hyuuga asked curiously. The frown already on his face only deepened when Shikamaru gave only a shrug.

-

"I don't know all the details," he admitted, "but I do know that it's some type of deal...with Naruto getting the raw end of it. Actually, part of the reason why I'm doing this is to find out what the fuck is going on."

-

"And the other part?"

-

There was a tense pause as their gazes locked. "I don't want to just end what's happening now -he went too far this time. I want that bastard to stop messing with Naruto _for good_."

-

When he was done, Neji gave a smirk of approval. "How long do I have to keep him distracted?"

-

"Until I come up with something better. Just don't be too obvious or he'll catch on." Shikamaru diverted his gaze in thought, sighing as he mentally estimated the time he would need. This was strictly a temporary plan- a mere diversion of attention- since the Uchiha wasn't an idiot and it would just be a matter of time before suspicions are aroused. "Plan for the next month or so. At the very most, two. By then, I should have something. Remember to be inconspicuous about it." Of course, the last bit had been understood but it never hurt to reaffirm the most important aspect.

-

"I'll do my best," Neji said and folded the note carefully into a tight square before slipping it into one of his pant's back pocket. Shikamaru silently wished him the best of luck; he knew handling the Uchiha would take that much. They both spared glances at the clock above the classroom's white board; it was almost time for the bell to ring; they had to leave before the hallways are filled with students. As Neji moved towards the door, a nagging questioned itched at Shika's throat.

-

"The thing I don't get is...why were you holding back?" He was referring to how hesitant Neji had been in actively seeking Naruto as a friend, especially when it was clear how much Neji cared for Naruto. Shikamaru made sure his tone wasn't accusatory or anything else that would unnerve the other. "If you wanted to be friends with him, just do it. Naruto doesn't hold grudges, if that's what you're worried about." By this time, the senior had reached the door, a pale hand on the reflective metal knob. He didn't face the other, choosing instead to murmur at the door in front of him.

-

"I have my reasons."

-

Though an eyebrow was raised at the cryptic statement, the other didn't ask for clarification due to a respect for personal privacy. Neji could have any reason in the world, as long as it still proved beneficial to him. Shikamaru heard the door open and close, followed by the echo of the footsteps growing fainter. He sighed wearily, finally taking both hands out from his pockets. Ah, the art of conspiring made his palms clammy.

-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..

-

Small rounded hands hovered a breathe away from the glass of a large display case filled with towering trophies and numerous award ribbons. They were displayed prominently along with the others that covered the entire expanse of the room, adjusted in a way so the natural light which filtered through the curtains would sparkle the sculpted metal and silk. It was a magnificent sight to behold, particularly at this moment when the sun would position itself just at the horizon. Sasuke, though admittedly envious of his brother's achievements, couldn't deny the magnificence.

-

The younger Uchiha blew across the glass, just enough to fog over the original inscription of a particularly mighty trophy. With the tip of his pinky finger, the boy carefully wrote in his name onto the glass then stood back to admire his work. Someday, he plans on winning trophies a hundred times bigger and not have to pretend on a fogged piece of glass. Though a child prodigy in his own right, Sasuke was still simply too young to enter many competitions. He was still going through multiple testing and extensive training in anticipation for his bright future.

-

An Uchiha was _expected_ to be a genius, of course, so most of everything came naturally to him. In his parent's eyes, especially his father's, an Uchiha not only aimed for perfection, but also make it a life goal to achieve it. One had to be exceptional and a prodigy to hold any status in their family. Truthfully, Sasuke didn't mind the strict regime of tutors and instructors because he knew it was to improve himself. 'A person should not pass up an opportunity to better and should always push themselves to be the greatest', his father always noted solemnly.

-

But there were times when Sasuke wanted to quit or play; it was natural being a kid, but those times became fewer as time passed. If ever he acted upon them, a heavy wave of guilt washed over him because he hadn't spent the time doing something more productive. His parents always managed to find out about the ventures and the last thing Sasuke would have to avoid the look of disappointment in his father's eyes for the next few days. Oh, his sympathetic mother would smile and easily forgive the minor infracture, but he didn't want to accept her pity; it was a sign of weakness. As for Itachi, his brother was a mix- forgiving of his antics but stern on reminding his younger sibling to focus.

-

Sasuke suddenly heard the oak door creak open and hurriedly wiped away his name; it would be too awkward and embarrassing to explain. "What are you doing, Sasuke?" a deep voice inquired from behind. A lithe body kneeled in front of the trophy case next to where the younger boy stood. Sasuke didn't need to turn to recognize the familiar scent of his brother after a long day of training in their private gym. After all, being an accomplished martial artist required constant practice. It was a mix of sandalwood and sweat with the slight fresh snap of cucumber. Neither pungent or strong but immediately recognizable and slightly feminine, though Sasuke wouldn't dare say it in front of his brother.

-

Itachi scowled at the smudged handprints left on the glass before turning to face him. "You know how father and mother feel about this room," the older Uchiha said carefully with discriminating eyes. Something as little as smudging the glass seemed like an oversight, something Sasuke would've usually tried his best to avoid. Their parents hated having the trophy room in any amount of disarray since it was the first room people were brought into: visiting relatives, business associates, etc. Why verbally boast your children's achievements when you can have a whole room with which to dazzle? Because of the room's status, a large portion of maid work was dedicated in keeping it as clean as possible by the house staff and Sasuke had been warned multiple times not to fiddle with the displays.

-

His small shoulders slouched a fraction as he gave his brother a guilty look. "I was just looking," he mumbled lowly, "You have so many that I forget which ones you have." The excuse was weak but otherwise plausible; everyone knew how much the younger Uchiha admired his brother. Itachi's eyes softened at the remark and a soft chuckle escaped from his lips. Feeling somewhat patronized, the younger frowned; it was as if his brother didn't see him as a worthy adversary in competition for their parent's attention. True there was almost a decade separating them but the young boy had worked hard to be able to not only follow in Itachi's footsteps, but run after them at full speed. The very least the other could do was acknowledge the effort.

-

Sensing the other's sour attitude, Itachi lifted his hand, two fingers raised, and gave a solid poke to the forehead. It was a small tradition between the two siblings; one that started ever since Sasuke could remember. Most of the time the gesture was comforting but it can also serve to be an annoyance, such as now. Sasuke's scowl deepened as he rubbed the spot with his left palm. Though he tried to imitate the severe look of an adult, the smaller Uchiha was still too innocent and the effect was diminished into looking adorably riled. His older brother smiled apologetically before standing up, brushing away imaginary dust from his lap. "Its almost time for supper," Itachi soothed, holding out a hand textured in hardened blisters, "I can talk about my accomplishments then." There was a joking smile and a few seconds passed before a small hand reluctantly grasped onto his.

-

"But I'm afraid I can't stay for long." There was a pause as Sasuke let the information sink in. "I have to go back to the office tonight." Though Itachi was still in his teens, their father had wanted to start the elder Uchiha onto the family business as soon as possible. The Uchiha Corporation did have a wide range of business activities, dabbling in almost every aspect of the city's economy, and the ability to oversee them would require years of preparation and personal experience. Unfortunately, it had placed a silent strain on their relationship as Itachi isolated himself within the impeccable white walls of his private office downtown.

-

"You don't _ever_ stay for long," huffed Sasuke as the grip around his brother's hand tightened. It depressed him slightly how little time they spent together, compared to earlier. Back then, Itachi had allowed him to watch or observe whatever he was currently engaged him, sometimes sparing time to hand pointers to his younger sibling. Nowadays, Sasuke was fortunate to share the same table with him during mealtimes. Added to which that young children weren't allowed into the building since they'll only serve as a distraction for the employees.

-

"Yes," agreed Itachi as his fingers gripped the brass handle, "But next time I'll stay longer, okay?" In response, Sasuke tugged at the hand, pulling back for his elder brother's attention.

-

"You always say next time," he said with a hint of a whine. As a reply, Itachi gave a slight shrug, obviously not wanting to continue the conversation. If he had paid more attention, Sasuke would've noticed the cooling look in the eyes or the tightening of the mouth until it became a thin line. However, being a young child, his observation skills were still not polished. "Can't I just come with you? I won't-"

-

But his voice caught in his throat as he finally realized the harsh stare Itachi sent him; it was the look usually reserved when things were getting too frustrating. "No, Sasuke. Do not ask again." The voice was firm and left no room for negotiation. Sasuke swallowed dryly and looked down to his feet, hurt his request had been shot down so quickly. At the sight, Itachi's irritation steadily evaporated and, sighing in exasperation, he kneeled down to reach eye-level with his sibling. The younger boy refused to meet his eyes until two fingers softly poked him in the forehead.

-

"Foolish brother," Itachi sighed, when a pair of large dark eyes, on the verge of tears, faced him. As he continued to speak, a rough hand went to lovingly push away imaginary wayward bangs from the softly rounded face. An uneven breath slipped out between his lips; Sasuke could feel the moving air against his cheek. "Where I'm going, there is only a one-way door." There was a pause as Itachi's face grew blank, eyes once more glazed as if recalling a set of unfocused memories. "I can't allow you to follow me there." Itachi's dark eyes scanned meaningfully over his younger brother's face but Sasuke only frowned in confusion. For a moment, Itachi's hand lingered on the pale soft skin of his forehead, barely noticeable but warming nonetheless.

-

"Because you're..." Itachi's voice didn't hold the usual conviction of a self-assured genius; Sasuke could have sworn it had wavered near the end. Small ears strained to hear the last bit of the sentence as his brother finally lifted his hand -the warmth- away from his forehead. The strong grasp on his hand loosened and the long fingers gradually slipped away from his own.

-

_Because you're..._

_-_

Suddenly, the shadows of the room seemed to spread everywhere as bits and pieces of the room began to melt into the growing darkness. The sun had been setting but it shouldn't turn to night this quickly. Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, rubbing the lids with fisted hands, trying to adjust to the morphing room.

-

_...my only..._

_-_

When he finally opened them again, Itachi was standing yards away from him, dressed entirely different in an expensive unbuttoned suit covered in splatters of a deep ugly red. A smoking gun in one hand. A bloody sword in another. And eyes...those eyes seeped with the same blood color as the pupils fixed themselves on him.

-

_**bond**_

-

Something inside seemed to explode, bursting him awake into the still air of his bedroom. Steadily, Sasuke moved to sit upright on his bed of twisted silk and cotton. A pale hand reached limply to feel his rapid heartbeat over the slightly soaked skin as he tried to regain control of his body. After a couple of deep pants, the Uchiha felt relaxed enough to wipe the culminated sweat from his forehead and spare a glance at the clock on his bedside table. It was one hour before dawn; he had more sleep tonight than he expected. Usually during the week of the anniversary, he would be so plagued by night-

-

No. It was different this time. Eyebrows curled and forehead wrinkled as he tried to remember what exactly was inconsistent. When he did, a deep-set frown twisted Sasuke's features. Unwanted memories bombarded him one after the other, filling his heart with an ocean of shame and rage. Unconsciously, Sasuke's fisted hand began to pound the wooden headboard of his bed behind him, shaking the furniture with each impact. The skin of his hand became tender and bruised and the muscle underneath had begun to contract painfully.

-

When at last his mind began to settle, Sasuke stopped bounding the dented wood and examined his hand. It wasn't bleeding, but obviously bruised and extremely sensitive; he'll have to cover it with a long sleeved shirt for school today. If some nosey person asked, it really didn't matter since he could always explain it away as another wound from fighting with Naruto. At his mind's mention of the loud-mouthed blond, the events at the cemetery automatically replayed. Everything about the memory was vivid, especially the familiar raspy voice, unusually quiet and fragile.

-

_"Being lonely, it's given and you're __**forced**__ to take it." _

-

In his head, Naruto's voice echoed long after the last traces of the dream had evaporated.

-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-

Once every few months, the bookshop/cafe will go through a complete redecoration in order to stay current and trendy. Sakura, as the manager, dictated the themes to him, the lowly employee, to which he would have to follow her every whim. Sometimes it wasn't so bad; in fact, it was oftentimes fun. The shop was limited in size, since it sat cozily between two other businesses to either side, so the projects didn't take that much effort to complete. He doodled on the posters, hung up banners, played around with the life-sized cut-outs, etc. It was better than hanging around the counter all day, having the stinging smell of strong caffeine fill his nostrils and giving him a headache.

-

The only con was that his boss tended to act very...bossy. Being a born and bred perfectionist had instilled a very strict sense of quality and, being her _only_ employee, Naruto had to endure every single qualm. Though there were a couple of people who handled the weekday shift, while both were in school, Sakura had insisted on handling most of the details herself. The banner was either too high or too low by so-and-so inches. That shade was too bright or flaunty; it'll blind their customers. And for the last time, the cupid he drew last Valentine's Day was most definitely **not** a mutilated pink fly with a bad toupee.

-

Fortunately, the theme this time was Around the Worldbased off the classic by Jules Verne. Naruto never read it personally, though he vaguely remember it being on last year's reading list, but he took Sakura's word for what it was about. The blond was currently standing on the shaky aluminum ladder at the children's corner and struggling with a paper mache globe with way too much glitter sprinkled over the Pacific Ocean. Not trusting his judgment, the pink haired manager had provided him with the fishing line, carefully measured and marked so it'll hang perfectly on the ceiling.

-

However, when Naruto had carried it from the back room, the string had proved to be a nuisance so he had rolled it multiple times around the palm of his hand. Now it was acting difficult to take off, twisted and tangled until his flesh poked out in sharp sections. Only some tricky teeth work, he finally managed to unravel and pin it successfully to the soft ceiling. He leaned back on the latter to inspect his work, watching the globe catch and reflect the light with its glittered oceans as it spun on its axis. Satisfied, Naruto grinned and gave it a hard-knuckled tap.

-

It swung gently in the air and back to hit his face. Instinctively, Naruto slapped the globe away, trying to rub away the glitter that flew into his eyes. However, the world came back once more and sprinkled the teen with more sprinkles. Scowling, Naruto made a motion to swing at the piñata reject but a sharp tug at the hem of his vest stopped the hand mid-air.

-

"Don't break the world, Naruto," an irritated voice scolded, "I worked two hours making that thing and the rest of the night to get the glue off of me." The tanned boy gave one last slap at Europe before descending the ladder, mumbling something akin to 'the world started it...' before shining his usual grin at Sakura who waited for him on the floor.

-

"So how about that date-" But a piece of paper was promptly shoved into his hands before he finished. Naruto looked it over and realized that it must be the new menu items to go with the current theme of the bookshop. Confused blue eyes scrutinized over the new menu; most of the items were a mystery to him. "Baklava? Moon cakes? Rice Pudding?" Usually Sakura would add only one special limited item on the menu with a couple of drinks.

-

"Baklava is from the middle east. I tried it once last summer at this specialty place and it was delicious with all these gooey nuts and honey! And moon cakes have such a nice history I had to put it on there too! And rice pudding is enjoyed all over the world by so many countries that I was obligated to put it as a new menu item!" Sakura had said this all in one breathe, a dreamy look over her face as she re-called every taste sensation. Naruto, still incredulous, only smiled faintly at the list in his hands. A list of pastry shops and their numbers were at the bottom. Since the cafe didn't have a kitchen and neither Sakura nor himself was a cook, they usually struck a deal with the local shops to have fresh batches delivered daily.

-

Naruto sighed inwardly but couldn't bring himself to voice his differing opinion on the whole thing. He would love to see some burgers or steaks or anything hearty on the menu but they simply didn't go well with coffee and books. The pink haired girl handed him the tape and pointed out where the new menu items would be displayed. Naruto nodded obediently and strided to the cafe, flicking off some glitter that collected on his shoulder. Sakura went to the back room, likely retrieving the last of the window posters.

-

The blonde had his back turned to the counter when he heard someone enter the shop and step straight to the counter. "Be right with you," Naruto said cheerily over his shoulder.

-

"Take your time...dead-last."

-

At hearing the voice, every ounce of his blood felt drained and replaced with antifreeze. He closed his eyes tightly, praying to every deity he knew and others he made before slowly turning around to face his next customer. Sasuke Uchiha stood in front of the counter, a large smirk playing his lips as dark eyes took in the horrified expression on Naruto's face. The tanned teen took a hard step towards the counter and jabbed an accusing finger at the other's direction.

-

"What the fuck are you doing here?!!" he whispered harshly, not wanting to attract Sakura's attention from the back room. Last time, he had spent a great deal of energy building up a plausible lie for the sake of Sasuke's privacy. Being the horrible liar he was, Sakura still didn't believe him and Naruto knew his chances of having his feelings reciprocated had been taken down a notch. He had hoped the other would be a bit grateful for his silence and keep away from his little corner of sanctuary. However, Sasuke seemed determined to make him regret any act of good will, deeming his sacrifices meaningless.

-

The Uchiha seemed immune to the glaring daggers Naruto sent. If anything, he took it as an encouragement to rile the other even more. "Never knew you wore makeup," Sasuke said smugly, dark eyes glinting in amusement.

-

Naruto's face flickered in confusion before looking indignant. "What? I do not-!" A pale finger cut him off as it swiftly swiped at his left cheek.

-

"The body glitter, dumbass," Sasuke said, showing the small amount of collected glitter on his padded fingertip.

-

Naruto promptly grew very self conscious as he remembered the amount of glitter that rubbed off on him from the globe; he sparkled more than the tooth fairy. "Sh-Shut up bastard! And this is not body glitter! I was putting up that globe and some of it brushed off on me." Two tanned palms vigorously rubbed at his face, reddening his cheeks even further. After a few moments, the tanned teen decided that enough had fallen on the floor to focus with some male dignity. "Just tell me what you want," he muttered gruffly. Naruto hoped the commotion hadn't Sakura's attention; she could only extend Sasuke's visit, a bad thing, and his chances of wooing the girl would undoubtedly suffer, a very bad thing.

-

"You shouldn't rush a customer." Of course, the bastard would make it more difficult for him. Naruto grinded his teeth and continued to deliver the best glare he could manage.

-

"I shouldn't beat up a customer either," he said in an incredibly fake cheerful tone, "Please hurry up and order, _sir_."

-

"Why the rush? It's not like I'm holding up a line." Sasuke gave a slight head jerk to emphasis the lack of activity around the shop. Naruto swore he could taste the arrogance that hung thickly in the air around them.

-

"Because I probably have to disinfect the place," Naruto replied, feeling his eyebrow twitch," Ya'know, just in case whatever makes you an asshole is contagious." Taking this as a sign, Sasuke finally decided to ease off the game and seriously contemplated in the menu hanging overhead. Naruto, after some deep breathing, finally felt his anger ebb away and waited patiently for the order. He noticed Sasuke having difficultly in deciding which items to choose, seeing those perfect eyebrows crinkling and pale lips pinched down into a frown. It wasn't surprising, since the pale teen didn't like sweets and many of their choices were full of sugar.

-

"Pick the coffeehouse scones," Naruto said offhandedly, leaning casually on the counter as he followed Sasuke's line of vision. "They're not really sweet and you don't have to have them with the jam. The bakery we get them from really knows how to make 'em too so they're always fluffy and good." Sasuke's looked suspicious when Naruto faced him again. He rolled his baby blue eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "Geez, its not like I'm gonna spit on them with you watchin' me." The dark-haired teen still seemed unconvinced, staring into blue eyes until the blond felt uneasy. "Well? Do you want the scones or not?!"

-

After some consideration, Sasuke finally accepted his suggestion. "...I'll get the scones."

-

"'Coming right up, _sir_." Naruto hurried over to the stack of napkins and went over to the case where he carefully reached over to the scones. With the provided tongs, he purposely picked the slightly overdone ones and placed it in the paper bag. All the while, he could feel Sasuke's eyes attentively studying his every movement. He was used to this though, since they had classes together and much of their rivalry consisted of observing each other. Naruto was ringing up the order when the other teen finally spoke.

-

"I've been preoccupied."

-

The comment was so unexpected that Naruto had stopped and looked strangely at Sasuke. "Uh...what?"

-

"At school...I've been busy with recent council projects," Sasuke explained carefully, giving a meaningful glance at Naruto. "_Too_ busy." The slight emphasis on the first word was unmistakable. However, the underlying message was lost to Naruto, who was a very literal guy and never cared for word play.

-

"So? Why should I care?" He received a dry look in return. Impatient, Sasuke reached over and pulled Naruto over the counter, awkwardly smashing their lips together. It was over before the tanned teen had time to react properly. This time, the kiss was quick and impersonal, acting more of a reminder than anything else. When they did come apart, Sasuke calmly stood back, the usual satisfied smirk on his face as Naruto struggled to find his balance on weakened legs.

-

"Because I haven't done _that_ lately, moron."

-

The blond teen reddened as he sputtered out half-syllables of surprise and embarrassment. Though admittedly, Naruto had been wondering why Sasuke hadn't pursued the deal since the cemetery incident. In fact, the previous few weeks had been fairly peaceful with the two hardly ever in contact, except for a few fleeting arguments during their shared classes. Okay, so he was a bit paranoid for the first few days and wondered constantly what Sasuke was up to (there was always a calm before the storm right?), but he had chalked up most of it to that moment they had shared in front of the gravestones.

-

It was disappointing to think the main reason the deal was momentarily off was due to schoolwork. Naruto had wanted Sasuke to be as affected by the scene as he had been but, realistically, what could he expect? The bastard wouldn't let him free because of one dramatic event; this wasn't one of Sakura's romance novels, after all. Even with this logic, he couldn't stop being incredibly frustrated at how business-like the Uchiha had acted. Still, there were more pressing matters needed to be dealt with than Sasuke being an asshat.

-

"Wh-what the hell?!!" Naruto said, still shocked from the unexpected kiss. He had managed to forgive the Uchiha for practically molesting him in the cemetery due to the special circumstances but doing it at his bookstore? With Sakura only meters away? Sasuke had no reason to force himself on the blond at his job- his sanctuary! Hell, his second home! And there was no viable reason for it or circumstance like last time, as far as Naruto was concerned. "You-you said the deal will only be in school, lying piece of-!"

-

"I said the deal was only done on _schooldays_, not in school," Sasuke said manipulatively at Naruto's widening azure eyes, "Its still a _school day_, isn't it?" As if to emphasize his control, a pale hand reached around his neck and pulled out the necklace, letting it glimmer in under the fluorescent lights. The shorter male remained silent but still visibly enraged. "Since I'm too busy in school...I'll just have to come here-" But before the paler boy could finish, Naruto had two tight fists gripping the other's dress shirt, bunching up the front towards the throat. This seemed the perfect time to release some of the pent up fighting instinct from the past two weeks.

-

It just wasn't fair, Naruto thought bitterly, tightening his grip on the fabric. They had a deal, dammit, and Sasuke would go so far as twist the terms around to effortlessly suit his needs! The blond didn't know which he should be more furious about: Sasuke being manipulative or him being manipulated. In the end, he figured it all meant the same thing about the Uchiha. "Selfish bastard," he growled lowly as dark detached eyes stared back, almost daring him to make the first move. The string of the necklace brushed against the side of his fist. Reflexively, Naruto made a grab for it; the only thoughts in his mind was proving that he wasn't completely powerless.

-

However, when his fingers tightly clasped themselves around the delicate strand of silver, he found himself waiting. Naruto had all the reasons in the world to pull this necklace away. After all, it rightfully belonged to him! Added to which Sasuke's cheating attitude would've made Buddha enraged. And it would be so easy- so simple- to just pull away right now. But something inside him sparked when he touched the cool metal, like a flint. Before the blue-eyed teen could identify it, he was roughly pushed away.

-

Dark eyes glared at him with rage and confusion; Naruto stared back with a mirrored expression. They both knew he had hesitated at possibly his only opportunity of taking back the necklace. Why didn't he? Sasuke didn't have to voice the question for Naruto to give a heated glare that clearly indicated for him not to ask. Before either of them could open their mouths, the door to the back room creaked open.

-

They both turned their heads to Sakura who was heading towards the blond with a load of rolled-up posters in her arms.

-

"Naruto can you help-" When Sakura's head shifted to the side of the rolls, she caught sight of Sasuke standing in front of the cafe's counter. Taken by surprise, she opened her arms and the rolls fell to the floor. Naruto immediately went to her aide as she kneeled down to gather them. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?" she whispered at him in nervous breaths. Green eyes glanced up where the stoic boy stood calmly, mentally debating to himself whether or not to help. When Sasuke finally did make a move, Naruto and Sakura was already standing up.

-

"Well, he was just about to _leave_," he said aloud with the rolls tucked under his arms. Sakura frowned at him as he struggled with the posters as he made his way to the counter. The bag of almost forgotten scones were pushed towards Sasuke, who looked indifferent as he handed Naruto the money. There was one last smirk, with a glower promptly returned, before Sasuke moved his way out to the door, sparing Sakura a polite nod of acknowledgment.

-

"Oh! Are you leaving already?" the manager blurted, blushing lightly at her outburst. Sasuke had the civility to face her after letting his eyes wander over the place nonchalantly.

-

"This is a nice place," he said offhandedly, much to Sakura's obvious pleasure and Naruto's look of sudden constipation. She smiled widely before eagerly giving a small wave with her free hand.

-

"Thank you for you patronage and _please_ come back again!" she said excitedly. She missed the parting glance Sasuke gave to the blond, mistaking the expanding smirk as a pleasant smile. The Uchiha gave one last curt nod and left the store, closely clutching the bag of scones to his side. Once his shadow disappeared from the parking lot, Sakura went to the blond, still beaming from her encounter with her long-time crush.

-

"I can't believe it! Sasuke Uchiha was here!" she said excitedly, choosing to ignore the blond's obvious distaste of the topic. Naruto only gave a half hearted shrug but chose to remain silent as a passive listener; he had learned that it was best to let the girl's energy to phase out rather than take a chance at fueling the spark. After some time, her speech started to return to normal with less frequent squeals and swoons. Still smiling, she tapped her chin thoughtfully and said something that immediately caught her employee's attention.

-

"Hey, what about me and you take the day off early? We already did a lot today and it looks today would be slow anyway," she started, taking in the view of the mostly deserted parking lot before turning back to Naruto. "I owe you a date, after all." She winked and grinned good-naturedly at him. Naruto's previous sour attitude immediately dissipated to the happiest he had been all day.

-

"Wha-! Really? Now?!!" he managed to sputter out. Promptly afterwards, Naruto remembered the necessities of cash on dates and looked apologetically back at Sakura. "Um, but where should we go? I...uh...don't have that much money." Though he hated sounding cheap, it was the honest truth; the tip jar was empty and it was a week before next payday. Fortunately, Sakura didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

-

"Let's just go to the park together; it looks like a beautiful day today," she offered politely, still riding out the high of her good mood. Naruto nodded in agreement, his grin appearing as strong as ever with a nervous blush on his cheeks. This was his chance at winning Sakura's heart! By the end of the day, she'll be swooning over him and would completely forget about Sasuke-bastard! His pink haired manager coughed lightly, catching his attention. "But before that, we have to clean up first..." He followed her gaze around the floor and groaned at the glitter sprinkled throughout the area.

-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

-

It **was** a beautiful day.

-

The sun was already past its zenith so the atmosphere held a crisp airy quality without the midday heat, complimenting the smell of fresh cut grass nicely. Since it was a weekday, there were relatively few people interrupting their date; it was a generally peaceful and pleasant time. Sakura, still in euphoria, had laughed along with many of his jokes, playfully punching him whenever he cracked a dirty one. They had talked about many things; it came easy between the two since they've known each other for so long. Naruto had been especially careful not to have the conversation turn towards Sasuke, trying to paint himself as the ideal boyfriend and not wanting Sakura to compare the two of them. He successfully managed to do so by diverting most of their conversations back towards the shop, something the girl took great pride. However, some aspects made Naruto embarrassed, especially when she recalled the answers he had given during his employment interview.

-

"I asked you what books you like and you said something about _Fairy Tales_, remember?" she had said through handed laughs.

-

It wasn't long before they finally settled on a bench that coincidentally reminded Naruto of the one in the school's office. The pink haired girl sighed happily, leaning comfortably against the old wood with Naruto close, but not too close, beside her. The last three hours had passed quickly in Naruto's mind and he had grown more confident of winning Sakura over. Right now, settled so next together, he allowed the calm to absorb him into a heavily relaxed state. He turned his head towards the sky, shielding his blue eyes with an overturned arm, and grinned brightly. The enormous anger and frustration from earlier seemed so far away, instead of just mere hours ago. Sakura poked at one of his whiskered cheek, biding his attention back to her.

-

"Hey...Naruto," she began carefully, tapping her chin while resting her elbow on the other hand, "Can I ask you something?" He nodded, too carefree to actual voice his answer.

-

"Sasuke..." With one name, the tanned teen's spirit cracked into a downward spiral. Suppressing a growl at the mention, he immediately moved his body to sit up with hands tightly clutching the knees of his jeans. Damn it, why did the bastard have to ruin everything even when he isn't really there? Sakura, too preoccupied in her musings, ignored his discomfort and pressed on. "He goes to your school right? Are you sure you don't know him?" Her curious green eyes directed at him, a hopeful smile on her face. Not wanting to ruin the atmosphere, Naruto decided to answer as neutrally as possible. He didn't want to tell good things, if any, about Sasuke but he also didn't want to get on Sakura's bad side.

-

"Yeah, I see him around but we never really talk or anything," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. The girl looked at him suspiciously, cocking her head to the side as she inspected him further.

-

"Well, you still go to the same school as him," she said, still persistent, "Are you sure you can't tell me anything about him? Anything at all?" Naruto's blue eyes flashed with hurt at how interested she seemed. While they had spent hours talking and joking like the best of friends, he had never saw that same look of adoration in her light green eyes. Still, it was better to stay neutral and truthful even if it was difficult swallowing his jealousy. The whiskered youth had already lied to her before and that was tough enough, especially since he had a very honest nature. Naruto sighed.

-

"He...he doesn't like sweet things or...being around big groups of people. Or people at all, " he started lamely, feeling evermore depressed at how Sakura's attention peaked even more. He hoped the conversation would end at that but the girl continued, determined to milk him for more information.

-

"Come on, Naruto! _You must_ know something else." Naruto bit his bottom lip nervously before shifting his eyes back at his crush, inexplicably happy and beautiful from the excitement. A part of him played around with the idea of saying every single dastardly thing about his rival but he couldn't bring himself to do such an underhanded tactic. It was particularly difficult when he looked back at those trusting mint green eyes. The attention was flattering but, at the same time, it was also extremely disheartening knowing it was all due to Sasuke Uchiha. Not him.

-

"Sasuke's...a real bastard. He's really selfish, rude, and really _really_ pushy. He's a real jerk, Sakura. The biggest jerk I know," he blurted impulsively. Sakura, taken aback, looked at him strangely before frowning. Naruto grinned weakly but didn't do anything to retract what he had said; after all, it was the truth.

-

"But there must be something good about him, Naruto," Sakura insisted defensively, "_Everyone_ has to have some good points, right?"

-

Something about her words struck a chord in him. Sasuke Uchiha...what _were_ his good points? Sakura had to be right; _everyone_ had some. Besides being rich, handsome, athletic, intelligent, there didn't seem to be much leftover to consider. And, in Naruto's mind, all of these qualities seemed like a shallow way to describe someone as frustrating to understand as Sasuke. Naruto thought seriously, revisiting flashes of memories he had subconsciously filed on the pale boy.

-

Unfortunately, the kisses seemed to hold dominance in that department as he remembered the smell of clean soap on pale skin and dark hair. That itself was meaningless since it only meant the bastard was a hygiene freak. Speaking of which, the blond had suspected the vain bastard to moisturize his lips, since they can't possibly be so smooth and soft by nature alone. His, on the other hand, were always dry and crackly. The differing textures when they met-

-

_Oh dear god. Stop brain. __**Stop**_

-

Naruto, disturbed by the train of thought, groaned and caressed his forehead with the palm of his hand. He had been unaware of the amount of detail his mind had preoccupied itself with. It sent a shudder throughout his body when thinking about the vivid details and the familiar sense of disgust clutched at his throat, making a bitter fuzzy taste in his mouth; his heart continued to thud steadily despite the obvious distaste. Unknowing of his mental anguish, Sakura sighed at his sudden bout of silence and poked at his upper arm. Knowing he wouldn't get any peace until he answered, Naruto spoke the first thing that came to his mind.

-

"When he smiles, it's really small but it's sort of nice...I guess," he muttered, not wanting to meet her eyes. It was the only thing that really stuck out for Naruto- one that he was comfortable enough to tell anyway. Sakura gave a pleased smile in turn, eyes glinted with _'I told you so'_. The tanned boy sighed in defeat, slowly realizing how futile his efforts were of having the girl reciprocate his feelings against her one-track interest in Sasuke Uchiha.

-

"Why...why do you like him so much, Sakura?" he said curiously in a low voice, despite no other person being within hearing distance. The pink haired girl looked speechless for a moment, half-startled green eyes meeting bright baby blues. Naruto quickly looked apologetic at asking the extremely personal question but he nevertheless persisted. "I mean besides that he's good-looking and all that other stuff." For a moment, Sakura looked like she wasn't going to answer. The blond male was about to change the subject when she finally spoke.

-

"Well, when I was little, the city used to have special advanced classes that had selected kids from all the elementary schools. Once a week, we had to take the bus and it was basically just an hour-long recess where they made us play games. It was supposed to stimulate our intellectual growth or something." She hesitated for a moment before going on, glancing upwards at the dipping sun before continuing. Naruto recognized the glazed look of her eyes as she continued the story. "Of course, Sasuke was there too and immediately became popular with everyone, even the instructors." Her delicate hands played with the hem of her shirt while she summoned the courage to continue.

-

"That's when I first began liking him." It was here that she started to smile dreamily. "He just acted really mature for his age and he had this self-confidence around him that was so...so _cool. _I really admired him for those things but I was so shy back then that I never seriously acted on it." A sigh escaped her lips. "And even though I tried my best to get his attention, it never really got me anywhere. Then the classes ended and it was too late. I guess... I'm trying to make up for that now." She placed her small hands neatly over her lap and looked at him, a sad smile on her face and a flush on her cheeks as she finished.

-

"I really just...wanted him to acknowledge me."

-

_...wanted him to acknowledge me. _The words struck at Naruto until he felt it physically manifest itself as the tightening of his chest. He couldn't label the emotion coursing through his body and, in all honesty, didn't place priority in doing so. The feeling of being acknowledged...it was so familiar that he immediately sympathized with Sakura. Even before this confession, the blond had known- had recognized- that same exact desire. "Sakura..."

-

Noticing the tone of his voice, the young girl immediately stood up and waved her hands defensively. "I mean, it's not like I have low self-esteem or anything!" she said quickly, giving a nervous laugh. "But when you receive that type of recognition from someone who's important to you, it just means more." Though Naruto stayed silent, he found himself agreeing completely with her words.

_-_

_Yeah, I know. It's just...if the person is...it's just...__**more**_

-

"Right, Naruto?" Sakura looked at him hesitantly as she tried to regain her composure from admitting her secret. Naruto grinned at her behavior; it wasn't often he saw this side of his boss. A few moments of awkward silences past, neither really knowing what to say to ease the atmosphere. Naruto was the first to break the tension with a rather blunt question.

-

"So, there really can't be anything between us, neh?" he said, pushing through another grin. He felt like they've reached a turning point in their relationship; however, he was disappointed to note it was one the blond didn't like. It had a sour taste of irony; their first (and last) date would reveal enough evidence of Sakura's devotion to admit utter defeat. He had underestimated her crush and paying the toll with a bit of teenage heartache. One of her hands placed itself on his shoulder sympathetically.

-

"I'm sorry, Naruto. You're a really sweet guy but...I just don't think of you that way." She stuck out her tongue playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "You're more of that annoying brother type I always have to keep out of trouble."

-

"Hey! I'm not that annoying!" he pouted.

-

Sakura laughed at the predictable reaction before glancing at the watch on her wrist. "Ah, it's getting kinda late. I have to go soon," she said as she faced the watch to Naruto so he could see. "Do you want a ride home? My car's still parked in front of the bookshop." She rose from the bench and waited patiently for him to do the same, knowing his bike was home with a flat tire.

-

Grinning, Naruto shook his head. "Nah, I'll just walk home." Though he appreciated the offer, being with Sakura at the moment would only make him uncomfortable. Besides, his home was a short walk away, providing the blond with some much needed alone time. He gave a large yawn and stretched out his limbs, hanging them over the edges of the bench with the grace of a spoiled housecat. Sakura gazed worriedly around the park before settling her concerned green eyes back on him.

-

"Be careful, Naruto," she warned, noting how fast the sky darkened, "The park's supposed to be really dangerous at night." Naruto brushed off her worry with a confident wave of his arm.

-

"You watch too much cops shows, Sakura. Besides, I can take care of myself; I can beat up a hundred bad guys with one arm tied behind my back!" For extra emphasis, he bent his arms, forcing a bulge of muscle to show through his skin. It wasn't impressive but his spirit seemed to calm down the girl's anxiety. She eventually walked away, smiling warmly and waving enthusiastically, until he couldn't see her pale pink hair.

-

After she was gone, Naruto settled himself comfortably against the back of the bench, resting his head along the top curve to face the sky. It's pretty, he thinks ruefully, catching the last dashing colors of the sunset as it mixed with the darker hues. Closing his eyes peacefully, Naruto allowed himself to contemplate the situation as objectively as he could; one of the few useful things Shikamaru had advised him to do when handling a troublesome predicament. So far, Sasuke had threatened him of return visits to the bookstore and Sakura was still strong in her admiration. Added to which that the chances of the deal being found out had been heightened, since the bookstore was a very risky place with customers walking in and out. He skipped over the fact that his chances of being with Sakura was now slim to none, with a greater lean to the absolute zero.

-

Hell, with his luck, Sakura would probably be the one to find out and he would be lucky to be on _neutral _terms with her. He groaned inwardly. How was he supposed to-?

-

"Well, look at what we have here boys," a snide voice interrupted, "If it isn't Naruto Uzumaki."

-

Naruto's eyes opened sharply and he turned to the source. Three guys, familiar looking and around his age, stood two meters away, the biggest one standing in front of the other two as he continued to sneer at the blond. After adjusting his vision a little, Naruto was able to clearly distinguish their faces, recognizing them as former students at his school. And if memory serves him right, they were the same jackasses who had caused his friends to become expelled.

-

Abruptly the blond stood up, straightening his back and sized them up. He noticed the leader of the group limping a little, but held a stripped branch to the side of his large body. If they were to get into a fight, which Naruto knew was very very likely, the big one would be the one he would be most wary of; the other two were weak cronies. Still, it was a very unbalanced fight with three against one. He swallowed thickly. This didn't look too good. Though he had built his stamina with his regular fights with Sasuke, he had no illusions of grandeur and they had always stopped their fights at the very brink of serious injury. Running was certainly not an option- was _never_ an option.

-

_Because the good guy never gives up- never falters. He's strong and determined and heroic until the very __**very**__ end._

-

Naruto separated his heels, making sure to maintain a good balance for the inevitable fight ahead. If his fights with Uchiha ever taught him anything, it was to conserve his energy; this was a marathon, not a sprint. He watched as the biggest one nodded ahead to the other two who stalked towards him like wolves eying their prey.

-

"Ya' know, you shouldn't be walking alone out here," one of them offered, showing a set crooked teeth. "It's not safe, especially for a _girl _like you." Naruto fumed at the insult, turning to the guy with tightly clenched fists. He despised being called a girl above all else.

-

"What did you call me-?!!"

-

**Bam. **The blond hunched over a hard fist landed a solid punch into his soft stomach. Damn it! He had been too distracted! Ignoring the spiking pain, he straightened himself quickly and aimed a kick to the one who had punched him. Though he could hear the satisfying thunk as it connected, the one with crooked teeth had moved to deliver a hard swing at the side of his head. Naruto reflexively moved to defend against the attack, expertly dodging most of the simultaneous kicks and swings. There was no doubt that he was the better fighter but his opponents were both persistent and sneaky, directing most of their attacks at his head and stomach along with other vulnerable parts of his body.

-

Eventually the other two had managed to tire out Naruto and forced him to go into the defensive. It was fortunate that he had Sasuke as a rival; he had learned a lot from watching those graceful dodges. However, the other two had twice as much energy as him to spend. Naruto quickly found himself dizzy from the lack of oxygen and his vision blurry from the lands on his head. Taking advantage of his condition, the one with the crooked teeth made a grab at his arms while the other took the other. They locked him between them and struggled to hold onto the twisting body.

-

"This is payback for getting us expelled, you freak," one muttered as Naruto thrashed against the restraints, already bloody and bruised. After a full minute, the blond had become weaker in his struggle but stubbornness kept him from giving up. He growled at them, shooting a particularly ugly glare at the leader who had only watched the fight a few feet away.

-

Throughout the entire thing, the brute had allowed his minions to do the dirty work but still managed to look menacing with the stripped branch held loosely over his shoulder. Just like a coward, Naruto scoffed mentally. He would never allow other's to fight his battles. Naruto collected the blood from around his bleeding lips and spit it in his direction. "Let me go you cheating fuckers!" he cursed. His reply was a stinging whip of the branch. Naruto bit down the intense pain, though he could feel his eyes water.

-

"That's for my knee, you freak." The sneer was met with silence and another futile struggle. Naruto had no idea what the guy was talking about but refrained from asking. It didn't seem like he would get a straight answer, anywho.

-

"Not so tough without your friends, huh?" one of his restrainers sneered. At the mention, the blonde widened his eyes in confusion. What are these assholes talking about? What did his friends-? But his thoughts were once more disrupted by another swift ship of the branch; this one was on his injured stomach. Naruto cursed through teeth clenched together so tightly he could almost feel them cracking.

-

"Fuck...you."

-

"Naruto?" The sound of a new voice caught everyone's attention almost immediately. The blond managed to twist around at the loosened grips and see a blurred figure standing further along the path. It took some adjusting for him to recognize the spiky ebony haircut and the emotionless pale face. Naruto, overcome with dread, had little confidence of Sasuke helping him. Would the Uchiha actually help out these assholes in beating him senseless? After all, though Naruto thought they made some positive progress in their relationship, they still held a violent rivalry with each other. Or maybe Sasuke would simply ignore this and walk away as if he was never there.

-

It was hard to say which possibility made the blond feel more distressed.

-

"Uchiha? Well, you're just in time!" the leader spoke through a fake smile. Sasuke didn't say anything in reply nor did his expression changed. He calmly stepped closer to them and stopped as he stood in front of Naruto, dark eyes roving over his form. Naruto looked back, blue eyes flashing with a strong fighting spirit despite the wear of his body. No words were exchange as the Uchiha turned back to the leader who was grinning so widely that it had to ache.

-

"Wanna do the honors-?" But the offer was cut by a sharp elbow jab to the neck, followed by a strike to the eye. The large teen took a few steps back, hands around his neck and eye.

-

"Wh-what the hell?!!" he choked, spitting on his words, "I thought you...of all people-!"

-

"Let him go." Everything became quiet; everyone was stunned but Naruto must have been the one caught most off-guard. His blue eyes widened up at the Uchiha, though Sasuke ignored all of their bewildered stares. Sasuke? Sasuke Uchiha was helping him? Naruto? _Helping __**him**_? Naruto realized that the hold on his arms had slackened, probably from the recent turn of events, and gave one last sharp tug. He managed to free himself and limp a suitable distance away. Not knowing what else to do, the two males took their place next to their injured boss, expressing sentiments of concern. However, they were roughly pushed away as the brute continued to sneer at the pale teen.

-

"You want this shitter go?" he spat, feeling betrayed, "Are you nuts?!! I thought you'll be on our side!" Sasuke only gave a cold glare as he moved towards Naruto, allowing his actions to answer instead. This only infuriated the leader further; He tightened his hand around the branch until his knuckles turned white. "Fine! We'll just beat both of your asses!"

-

The two others seemed hesitant in fighting with both Naruto and Sasuke; they've all witnessed their frenzied brawls at school. They had trouble handling just Naruto and still had the fresh wounds to prove it. However, like the obedient sheep they were, they took the signal and headed towards Sasuke at full force. Ready for the attack, the ebony haired boy had managed to dodge the the majority of their onslaught. However, the leader had begun to make his way into the fight, raising his branch and aimed to hit Sasuke's shoulder.

-

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke, not quick enough to move away, tried to block the stick by turning sharply and holding out his arms to block. There was a sickening thwack as the stick landed along the length of the arm and on top of the knuckles. The blond had enough time to see his rival wince at the contact before mindlessly throwing himself back into the fight. Using his entire body weight, Naruto lunged towards the leader and successfully took down the large boy, catching down the other two in the process with his legs. Fortunately, Sasuke had moved out of the way but quickly recovered to handle the leader as Naruto swung wildly at the two struggling on the ground.

-

The two weaker boys had already fought with the blond and hadn't had the stamina to keep up. This meant that Naruto had little 'convincing' before they gave up, half running and half limping away. The larger teen was more stubborn and prideful but Sasuke was too superior for him to ever have a decent chance at winning. The stick had been snapped long ago during the brawl and Naruto knew from experience that those sloppily aimed punches would never land. Eventually, the large boy conceded and the two allowed him to walk away with much more than a bruised ego.

-

Once the adrenaline subsided, the blond gave a vicious smile. "That's right! Naruto Uzumaki just kicked your asses! Believe it!" He laughed but stopped when he felt the ache of the bruises around his ribs and chest. Lifting up his shirt, he flinched at the sight of blotched purples and smeared red over his tanned skin. He'll have to get it cleaned soon but they'll disappear within a week or two; he had always been an incredibly fast healer.

-

Suddenly remembering his partner, Naruto looked around to see the Uchiha sitting wearily on the bench, hunched over and inspecting his hand. Curious, the blonde walked over, still holding the hearty grin. His face immediately fell at the extent of Sasuke's injury, specifically around the knuckles. The skin was so swollen that a couple of places actually looked like it had cracked, showing a bit of torn tissue underneath along with the darkened blood.

-

"Fuck. That looks bad," Naruto whispered nervously. It was a complete mess and, judging from Sasuke's wince as he tried to move away from Naruto's gaze, it was also painful. "Oh god, Sasuke. That looks really _really_ bad."Naruto chewed on the bottom of his lips, concerned eyes never leaving Sasuke's bleeding knuckles. "Wait here! I can run back to my house real quick and get some stuff for that," he offered eagerly, "Just-just wait here and-!" He wanted to inspect the wound more closely but the pale teen moved out of reach.

-

"I can take care of this myself," Sasuke interrupted sharply. Naruto scowled but didn't say anything as he watched Sasuke take out some napkins with his bookshop's insignia; the Uchiha must've saved them from the scones. The blond continued to watch as the taller boy delicately wiped at the dried blood and smudged dirt. Though he knew the other was trying to put on a stoic face, Naruto could see how Sasuke was clenching his teeth to stop the hiss.

-

The blue-eyed boy turned his face down and away, swallowing hard. Sasuke wasn't a stranger to injury; Naruto had dealt many of them himself. The wound wasn't even that bad compared to past ones. He began gnawing nervously on his lips, drawing more blood into his mouth. Blue eyes watched with morbid fascination at Sasuke, who had just finished cleaning his and was reaching into his pocket for another to press against the wound.

-

Naruto shouldn't feel this way- this _guilty_- for Sasuke being hurt.

-

Sasuke noticed his unusual silence and gave a small kick to the his shin. "Hey, dumbass-"

-

"I didn't asked for this!" Naruto blurted, looking heatedly at the other, "I didn't want this!" Dark eyes narrowed and pale lips constricted into a thin line. "I could've fought them myself if you didn't act like such a shithead and-!"

-

"What? _Save_ you?" Sasuke interrupted, his voice rising, "You were getting your ass kicked, moron. What the hell was I supposed to do?"

-

"You could've-you just could've ignored it!" Naruto managed, pointing accusingly at the other. "Why would you help me anyway, huh? It's not like we're friends or anything!"

-

To this, the Uchiha glared and pressed harder against the bandage around his knuckle. A few moments of silence passed before the blond's shoulder finally relaxed. Though Naruto knew he had, in some level, outsmarted the other, he couldn't find it to revel in the glory. If anything, it made him feel more guilty. "Don't be stupid," Sasuke said bitterly, distracting himself back to his hands, "If you got hurt and ended up in the hospital, I can't fulfill the deal with you, can I? You're such an fucking idiot."

-

The reason sounded half-hearted to the blond but he didn't feel like mulling over intentions. Because they were freshly injured and thoroughly exhausted, Naruto didn't want to gamble another fight so he decided to downplay the atmosphere instead. "Whatever," he muttered while daring a few steps closer to the other. Soft blue eyes looked back over the hunched figure. "So you're...you're okay? Right?"

-

Sasuke gave a sigh of exasperation. "Yes. I'm fine. Stop asking." Naruto waited for the usual jeer or snide remark but it never came, though he could sense that the Uchiha was biting back his words. A few moments of evening crickets and wind permeated the air as both boys decided to look over their injuries . Naruto had settled himself on the bench, making sure he there was a great space between them. As he took inventory of the new bruises on his left leg, the blond offered a casual discussion to fill in the silence.

-

"Why were you here anyway?" the tanned teen offered casually while checking for bruises on his left arm.

-

"This is a _public_ park, remember?" Sasuke scoffed, "That means anybody can come here if they wanted."

-

Naruto rolled his eyes; it was such an expected answer. Not only did it completely divert the question but sneaked in another taunt at the blond's expense. "Yeah, but why were _you_ here?"

-

The pale boy quickly opened and closed his mouth, seriously taking the question into serious consideration. "Not that it's any of your business," he began, "but I come here to think sometimes." Naruto, finished with his own self-inspection, regarded the answer with a curious look. It wasn't as if it was unusual, lots of people come to the park to do the same exact thing, but he never thought Sasuke was capable of doing something so...normal.

-

"You should try it." Sasuke added, smirking at the glare he recieved. "Maybe then you wouldn't have to resort to violence so often."

-

'You're one to talk,' Naruto thought sourly but allowing the comment to slide. Wanting to continue the conversation, he asked, "So...what were you thinking about?" The pale teen didn't answer right away, seemingly lost in thought as he looked something beyond the darkening trees in the distance.

-

"You were lying," he said bluntly, eyes darkening as he met with Naruto's surprised gaze.

-

"Huh? Lying? Where did that-?"

-

There was a scowl before Sasuke looked away again, impatient with the blond's weak memory. Through the shadows, Naruto could see just how vexed the other was; the Uchiha's jaw was moving as if he was nibbling the insides of his mouth. When he finally spoke again, Naruto had to lean closer, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as he tried to make out the rest of what the Uchiha was saying. "Being lonely, its given and you're_ forced _to take it?" the brunette quoted, scoffing at the end, "That isn't always the case. Some people make the choice to be alone even when other options exist."

-

Blue eyes widened in memory. Sasuke had been thinking about their meeting at the cemetery? Naruto couldn't help but feel a sort of pride for effecting the stoic boy in that way, even if it had been incredibly awkward. However, he promptly remembered the rest of the Uchiha's statement and started to frown. "Wh-what? That's bullshit!" Sasuke glared at his loud tone so the whiskered teen continued in a softer voice. "What kind of person would prefer living like that? It's stupid!" The Uchiha's back straightened up noticeably, eyes narrowed down at the blond.

-

"Didn't you just say that you had wanted to fight those guys alone? Even though it didn't happen, you _chose_ to be _alone_," Sasuke said accusingly, ice in his words. "You _wanted_ to do it _alone_. If you don't see that, you're a bigger moron than I thought."

-

"Th-that's different!" Naruto fumbled, "It was my fight-!"

-

"Different people have different reasons, Uzumaki," Sasuke interrupted impatiently, voice rising. "Just because your reasons are more noble, doesn't make it less applicable!" Sasuke's hand had begun to bunch around the fabric around his knee, twisting the material tightly with his freshly bandaged knuckles. Naruto swallowed thickly, unable to provide a rebuttal. At his silence, Sasuke softened his voice and continued through a rough whisper. "The world is full of people who willingly isolate themselves. Just because you're too naive to face that fact doesn't make it less true."

-

To the blond, the statement just didn't click. It wasn't because the idea was particularly complicated or revolutionary, but some part of him simply refused to see it. Because of this, a strong frustration welled up from inside Naruto and produced an unexplainable amount of anger alongside it. He found himself closing in until they were right next to each other, physical contact bare centimeters apart. "What the hell are you saying, bastard?!! Why would anyone be stupid enough to do that to themselves?!!" Sasuke shoved the blond teen back, but it didn't stop Naruto from talking once he composed himself. The initial feelings of anger had subsided but there was enough frustration left to still set his azure eyes burning.

-

"Even though...even though I understand wanting to be by yourself for a little while, always living with that -that _pain_ day in and day out?" Naruto said stubbornly between deep sighs. He broke their gaze, turning his bright eyes towards the night sky speckled with drifting clouds and tiny stars. "It doesn't...it just doesn't make any sense." Even before he had finished, the whiskered teen could sense the harsh glower he received.

-

"What exactly isn't making sense? We live through the pain- become stronger because of it!" Sasuke spatted, trying vainly to make the other grasp the concept, "Everyday, countless people are making that choice and going through with it until the very end." There was a pause as Naruto's attention drifted back towards him and this time it was Sasuke who turned away, facing his eyes towards his bandaged knuckles. "They don't regret it, Naruto. They're fine with that decision and only idiots like you make it seem like such a bad thing!"

-

Naruto clenched and unclenched his fingers, seriously contemplating what the pale teen had said. After all, not everyone was like him. Not everyone would hate being left alone, forgotten, and ignored. No matter how much he hated to admit, the bastard had a point. Even so, a part of him refused to give into the belief. It was the memory of long days and quiet nights when he was much younger, where the television constantly on just to fill the silence of his home. The day he had been invited to join Shikamaru, Kiba, and Chouji at lunch was the day he had slept without the television, too comfortable in his bed to turn it on.

-

So how could Naruto agree with such a pessimistic view, if he already lived through it? Maybe people did willingly chose to be alone but that they had never regretted the decision...? With newfound determination, he moved closer to Sasuke, pacing carefully until he was right in front of the other. "I don't believe that. There's gotta be more to living than the crappy parts, Sasuke. Its complete bullshit that the people who are alone in the world every fucking day in their lives don't care." Naruto paused, trying to find the right words. "People can't want that because we're...because we're... "

-

"We're what? Needy? Pathetic?"

-

"...because we're human," Naruto finished, ignoring Sasuke's interruption. "Because everything's so ugly and messy and violent. But if...if someone was with us, everything feels a little bit better. That's why-"

-

_That's why...I don't understand how anyone would __**want**__ to be alone. _

_-_

_That's why...I don't understand how anyone would __**want **__such a bitter existence. _

_-_

Without a conscious thought, Naruto moved to hold Sasuke's bandaged hand in his own. It wasn't meant to be a comforting gesture, even though the touch was soft, it felt more analytical. There was a sense of importance in the words he wanted to push out of his throat, but there was also a strong hesitance upon its release. No, it was more comparable to an active fighting spirit stopping him from saying it too loud.

-

_That's why..._

-

Unexpectedly disheartened, he squeezed the hand, forgetting that the injury was still fresh and likely sensitive. If it was painful, Sasuke didn't make any movement to pull away or break Naruto out of his stupor. With a small bout of reluctance, Naruto finally managed to push the words from his parched throat.

-

"I don't understand **you**_." _

-

With those words came a large undeniable sense of helplessness. Previously, a small piece of him had placed Sasuke on the same level as him, no matter how different their outward styles seemed to be. He had wanted to believe that he knew more about Sasuke than anyone else and took pride in the knowledge. Naruto had held a comfort in that thought each time they had fought each other, but their differences was too glaringly obvious now; he couldn't even pretend to grasp the Uchiha's way of thinking. Who was he kidding all these years? Their similarities were so minimal, they might as well be a different species altogether; two conflicting species that couldn't coexist with each other. At best, they were heated rivals and at worst they were...they were...

-

Strangers.

-

They were strangers. It didn't seem likely, not even possible, but its the closest word Naruto's limited vocabulary could come up with to describe the distance between them. It troubled the tanned youth; years literally wasted for something not even clearly identifiable. His body suddenly grew entirely numb while his face tightened. Sasuke, on the other hand, had no change. A snippet of memory floated to Naruto as he realized that the pale teen must already be fully aware of this; it was just him who had been ignorant.

-

All this time, the Uchiha had chosen to remain silent. However, they couldn't stay all night. Dark stormy eyes, shaded by the night, nodded down to meet the whiskered face. "Moron," Sasuke muttered stiffly, finally moving his hand away and stuffing it into his pant's pocket. Naruto, still hazy in his musings, didn't hear the comment nor did he react the his now empty grip. However, he did hear the shifting footsteps and looked up to see the Sasuke's retreating back. For a fleeting moment, he wanted to make a grab for the other to stay but stopped at the last second. There just wasn't anything else left to say so there was no point.

-

Depressed, the blond looked down at his hand and noticed remnants of blood along the lines of his palms. He had apparently squeezed so hard that the bandage had bled through; Naruto felt guilty of the pain the Uchiha had to endure because of his absentmindedness. He inspected the stains closer, bringing it up in front of his face and out of the shadows of the night air.

-

Oftentimes, Naruto had to wash away bloodstains from his skin and clothes after their fights. It didn't matter if most of the blood was his or the other because it was already dried and caked beyond recognition; his only worry had been if the stain would come off. But out of boredom, he'd sometimes analyze the smudges, imagining and exaggerating the differences between their blood. Sasuke's would be the darker and thicker, easily chipping away from the cotton with a scratch or two from his blunt nails. If Naruto felt particularly imaginative, he'll pretend that Sasuke was also cold-blooded like a venomous snake and oozed green blood like the aliens from movies he can't remember the titles of.

-

But as Naruto felt the fresh blood on his own skin, a surprising realization gently nudged itself into his psyche.

-

Sasuke's blood was **warm**...

-

Though most of the original heat had vanished, Naruto could feel traces; just a moment ago, this smear had been an active part of keeping the brunette alive. He didn't know exactly what about the concept stunned him as much as it did. The blue eyed boy knew all people were mammals and therefore warmblooded, but he guessed the fact never really sunk in until now, especially in regards to Sasuke Uchiha. Entranced, Naruto moved the blood in tight circles underneath the pads of his fingers. It wasn't only warm, but also held the familiar deep red color and felt slightly sticky to the touch, even the faint scent of copper lifted to his nose. It was the same blood as every other person, just like his.

-

The exact **same** as his.

_-_

It took a moment to fully register in his mind. When it did, Naruto smiled faintly at his blood-stained fingers. "Well..its a start," he whispered, moving the blood against his fingertips.

-

-to be continued-

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Just wanted to say that I really really appreciate all the reviews I received so far. You guys are wonderful and I'm very grateful for all the support the story is being _drowned_ in. Thank you! Thank you so much! Big squishy hugs all around! Seriously, I don't know why this story gets so much attention especially after I've been such a neglectful author. Dx Many many apologies for that. Gee wilikers...so many excuses that I rather not get into.

As for this chapter, I feel very iffy about it. I really didn't mean for it to be this long with this many scene changes but things came up that made it necessary. A lot of vital information is included here so I didn't want to skimp on anything that would be important later on.

Btw, since people have been asking, I've planned this story to be around ten to twelve chapters long including an epilogue/afterword. So, its not a really long story but the chapters are gonna be rather packed! -thumbs up-

Again, thank you everyone! -bows gratefully-


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